


A Treasure of Silver and Gold

by FuwaFuwaMedb, Mokyo



Category: Fate/EXTRA, Fate/Grand Order
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Drama, F/M, M/M, Multi, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:07:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 98,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28249611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FuwaFuwaMedb/pseuds/FuwaFuwaMedb, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mokyo/pseuds/Mokyo
Summary: Raised by Marisbury Animusphere, Hakuno Kishinami hasn't led a happy life. Nightmares and countless surgeries to show her time being raised by the Lord of the Clock Tower. That's why when the doctor of Chaldea offered her the chance to summon a Servant of her own, she jumped at the chance. Little did she know that she would summon two kings who would change her life forever.
Relationships: Gilgamesh | Archer/Arthur Pendragon | Saber, Gilgamesh | Archer/Kishinami Hakuno, Gilgamesh/Kishinami Hakuno/Arthur Pendragon, Kishinami Hakuno/Arthur Pendragon | Saber
Comments: 51
Kudos: 66





	1. Summoning Sliver and Gold

Romani couldn’t help but to feel for the girl. Found in the aftermath of their war and brought to the Chaldean base, awakened after several surgeries and forced into training's on how to open the circuits that had been placed within her; Hakuno Kishinami had been given the short end of the stick. Even when she had shown some power, a little bit of promise, the A team had thrown her into the bottom of the facility workers.

No debate, no chance given.

“It’s fine,” Mash told her, rubbing at her arm. “Summoning a servant is supposed to be incredibly difficult. There are a lot of mages that never get the chance. It’s nothing personal, Hakuno. They are trying to protect you from getting injured.”

Romani watched her hug the girl, trying to feel better.

There really wasn’t a reason to not let her try. Da Vinci had run tests. It wasn’t like she wasn’t capable. The power she held after those surgeries would sustain a powerful enough servant to make a dent in any fight they came across, but the others weren’t going to listen. Even the new recruits that they had brought in were weaker in some cases.

So why not let her try?

His former master was ignoring his question when he asked.

The A Team was mocking him at his question, asking about-

They were right. Magi Mari will be on right now.

This was a situation that was more important than his idol fanboying. He couldn’t help but to watch the girl look out the windows.

“Are you alright, Hakuno?”

“I just… Why am I here if I can’t help with this mana you all have had me work on all this time.” The brunette brushed back her hair, those honey-colored eyes meeting his gaze. “I want to help everyone. I know I can only heal, but I’ve prepared for so long. I want to give back to everyone.”

“Hakuno…”

The girl shook her head, moving to stand up. She brushed at her skirts, water leaking from her eyes a little as she sniffled. “Sorry, Romani… I just- I need a little time. I’ll accept my place. I just want to have some time alone.”

The tears were too much.

He can’t help it if she’s going to be like that.

All the saint quartz they had been harvesting is in the storage by his bedroom. Surely her trying once would help her accept her place.

She could give it a try.

If she managed to summon someone, it would prove that she was meant to have servants. She could introduce the servant to the rest of the base and he could bear the brunt of the reprimands. He would too. She was a good girl who deserved a servant at her side who could fight on her behalf and her behalf only.

If she didn’t summon a servant, then that would be that.

She could feel good at having given it a chance.

The hallways were quiet to his chambers. The touchpad was down, as it sometimes was when the power circuits tripped. No one gave a shit about his area of the base. The A team always found it funny when the area wasn’t working and he came to meet them after a cold shower and dressed in wrinkled clothes.

I hope she summons someone just to put them in their place, Romani thinks.

He’ll just take three saint quartz.

The quartz in hand, he closes the door to the room filled with quartz and goes to find his friend.

Just one try. What could possibly happen?

Hearing the small ringing of someone at the door, Hakuno stands up, finding herself surprised that Romani is back so soon.

"R-Romani?" Hakuno asks, noting the rainbow-colored rocks in his hand. Those were quartz. Why was he bringing them to her? "Fa- I mean, Marisbury will get upset at you for bringing me those." She wasn't supposed to touch them, not without her adopted father around. Only Romani and Kristcharia even know that Marisbury is her adopted father to begin with. If it seemed like Marisbury was favoring her... Romani would never hear the end of it.

"You should sneak with me to the summoning room, Hakuno. We can summon a Servant together. You deserve to have someone at your side, just like Team A does. It isn't fair to you." Romani shakes his head, "Your father would be proud of you, and Kirschtaria can stop holding his tongue at hearing the others make fun of you." He takes his friend by the hand. "Just one try?" It couldn't hurt. There's nothing to lose here.

Hakuno thinks for a moment. She really wants to prove that she's just as useful as Kirschtaria to her father... She'll try. It might not even work. It's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission after all.

"Okay. I-I'll try." Hakuno tells the doctor, her brown eyes looking up at him. "Lead the way Romani. I'm still learning my way around here." Honestly, this place is worse than the clock tower, with how confusing it is. She barely found her room when her father brought her here.

Without letting go of her hand, Romani leads Hakuno down the quiet halls of Chaldea. Marisbury is busy with Team A, no doubt arguing about mythology with the group of arrogant kids. They have time to get this done. "Right in here, Hakuno. All you need to do is sit your quartz in the middle of the room, and the summoning will begin. I'll be right here to monitor your vitals." He hands the girl the three quartz. "You can do it Hakuno. I believe in you."

Taking a deep breath, Hakuno moves forward carefully

Sitting the quartz down into the middle of the room. She isn't sure if this will work or not, but Romani believes in her. Romani has been the only one to believe in her and comfort her all this time. She'll try, if only to make her friend happy.

She seems to settle into place in the center of the circle as Romani turns on the machines. The sound of her heart beating can be heard now, the rate and her heat signature is showing on one of the screens. He can see more information coming up on the screen. Her mana flow rate is coming up now.

It’s steady again.

It wasn’t always that way, but it looks like it’s working alright.

Romani rubs his hands, trying to think of some way to be more helpful than a couple of rocks and well wishes. He can see Hakuno carefully placing the quartz into their places along the edge of the circle. Her eyes are looking over the writing on it, almost like she’s trying to memorize this experience.

Come on, Hakuno.

He knows she thinks of his old master as a father, but…

Well, he won’t think that. Hakuno has never seen him as a father. She thinks of him as a friend. Just a friend. Romani can’t help but watch, settling into his seat and looking at the array of buttons. If the flow becomes too much, he can gas the room. If the mana gets out of control, he has absorption methods for it, knowing it’ll at least create more fueling for the rayshift if they ever really need it.

The final quartz fits into place.

Hakuno glances his way, smiling softly before she looks to her work.

He can see her mouth moving, no doubt echoing the words she’s practiced by herself in her room so many times before. Those hands of hers are trembling, her eyes so focused on the circle before her that she could have burst it to flames with the heat of that gaze.

Come on.

Come on…

He needed this to work for her. She deserved the happiness of this.

That’s why, when the first spark came, he nearly fell from his seat. A rainbow spark skittered from the circle, bouncing off the wall and towards the center again. More came, moving in a clockwise pattern, skipping along and bouncing off the walls as a golden color came to the ring. The force of the mana went from nothing to slamming at the glass, cracking the window that separated the summoning chamber from the command room.

Smoke came when the sparks went out.

“HAKUNO!”

Hakuno nearly falls down as she can hear Romani scurry out of his private room, probably trying to come inside the summoning room to check on her. The lights flicker on and off, as the wind and smoke fill the room, making it even harder to stand up straight.

Her hand is burning, she looks down to see the same marks she noticed on Kirschtaria God, but her head hurt all of a sudden. Her adopted father was probably aware of what was happening by now. She swears she felt the room shake a bit.

As the room settles down, she squints her eyes to see not one, but two figures standing before her. The first thing she notices is their hair color. Blond. She always did like blond hair, maybe that's why she clings to Kirschtaria so much. The next thing she notices is that they're male.

Male...

Oh no. Marisbury is going to kill her, she thinks to herself. She's not supposed to talk to other men other than Romani and Kirschtaria

Still, the man to the left her opens his eyes. Green. She's never seen such a deep color of green before.

She can hear the door opening, as Romani steps inside.

"R-Romani." She calls, standing up and hiding behind the man a bit, "I-I don't know what I just did..." She made the power go out, that much she's sure of.

Romani holds Hakuno behind him as the two before them move to stand properly. The attire is almost recognizable from the books he’d been looking at with Team A, but there’s something wrong. The green-eyed one seems to be wearing silver armor, emblazoned in arrow and ancient-looking script. Meanwhile, the red-eyed man’s golden attire was in thick script, looking far newer, but their features look opposite.

They look like they traded features.

Was it a mix up in their summoning?

Both men’s chests were bare, sporting tattoos that seemed similar. The weapons in their hands seem to look like two halves to the same weapon with hilts that look like they lock together.

Romani feels himself hold Hakuno closer.

“It seems we’ve finally been summoned,” the red-eyed man declares, stretching his arms a bit. “Arammu, who has been foolish enough to think of enlisting us for their senseless fighting?”

The green-eyed man looks at him as Romani waits, hiding Hakuno.

“Hmm?” Red Eyes looks at him, his eyes going to the woman hiding behind him. “…You seem to have our master, mongrel. Move or be killed. The options are yours.”

Romani is holding Hakuno tighter, these two men are too dangerous for her. Hakuno hasn’t had many interactions with other people much less men like these two. He can sense the amount of mana coming off the two. He’s not even sure how Hakuno managed to summon two Servants at once, but Hakuno is pushing at him, trying to get a better look at them. She must be curious.

“Hakuno, go say hello.” Romani whispers, he won’t let her stray too far from him, he doesn’t know what these two will do to her. “They’re your Servants. You should at least go tell them your name.”

Hakuno nods. Her heart is racing as she looks in between the two men. Their eyes are so pretty as if they’re not human. Well, they’re _technically_ not human, they’re Servants but…

Ugh, her head was hurting more trying to make sense of it all.

She takes a step forward, moving towards the pair. Trying to mimic what she’s seen Kirschtaria and Kadoc do when they summoned their Servants.

“My name is Hakuno Kishinami.” Hakuno begins, showing the two her Command Spells. “I’m your Master. Can I ask what your classes are, and for your True Names?” That seemed respectful. She wasn’t as forcefully as Beryl was when he summoned his Servant. The werewolf was downright cruel to his Servant. She’s trying to be kind to them, they responded to her call after all.

The two seem to pause, looking at her. Red Eyes narrows his gaze a moment, waiting and frowning more after a second. Green Eyes stares at her, his hand holding his chest before he moves forward, kneeling to one knee.

"...Hakuno, I am King Arthur of Camelot. It's a pleasure to um... It's a pleasure to meet you. Are you that young? You were hiding a moment ago. I hope that we didn't scare you."

The other prattles something off, earning a look from Arthur.

"One moment," Arthur tells her before saying something back. They go back and forth a moment before Red Eyes moves forward, standing before her.

"King Gilgamesh of Uruk, conqueror of Humbaba, the mastermind behind UrukTech and the clairvoyant of the technological future." Gilgamesh flashes a dark smile. "Well, mongrel?"

She can feel her face warm at the green-eyed man, Arthur’s actions, the red eyed man, Gilgamesh, has a nice voice to listen to as well.

“I-It’s nice to meet you both too.” They’re being so nice to her, “Are you asking how old I am, um, King Arthur?” She isn’t sure how to address him, “I’m only seventeen.”

Which is why these are the worst possible Servants for her, Romani thinks to himself.

“King Arthur and King Gilgamesh.” Romani whispers, it doesn’t make sense. In other grail wars he’s seen through Sheba the two _hate_ each other. They cannot stand the ideals of the other. This is why the situation before him is puzzling. “Please be kind to her. She’s young.” He can hear footsteps approaching, his former Master is about to have a lot of questions, Romani thinks. He should be proud of Hakuno. Summoning two top-ranking Servants in one go. Even if the situation is a bit odd.

Do not tell us what to do," Gilgamesh hisses his way.

"Leave him alone, Gil. He probably doesn't understand." Arthur smiles to Hakuno, making her heart race a little. "Lady Hakuno, we are your servants to command and for protecting you. You're so young. I imagine that you're very well protected. Still, I don't want to risk anyone trying to hurt you. Do you mind if Gilgamesh and I remain close? We should guard you for your safety. Other masters could come after you for having us around."

"I don't mind." Hakuno quickly replies, moving closer to Arthur and Gilgamesh only to hear Romani make a noise warning her against it. She doesn't think they'll hurt her. It should be fine. "You'll like it here. There's no Holy Grail War here. In Chaldea, my father works with my big brother here." she motions to Romani, "To preserve humanity. There's no fighting here unless SHEBA sees something that could be a problem.

It's a little embarrassing, but she's read about these two. Marisbury taught her how to read in English by reading her stories about Gilgamesh and King Arthur. She may have to hide her books...

Arthur nods, standing up and standing with Gilgamesh once more. "We've come a long way to be here. Is it the middle of the day or the middle of the night? We could get some rest with you if it's nighttime, Hakuno. You may need your strength after summoning us."

The other man was sharing a glance with Arthur. There was something in that gaze like they were having a conversation without having a conversation. The man, Gilgamesh, looks to him.

"Hakuno is young. I'll help you both find a room while Hakuno goes to her room to get some rest. Tomorrow, I'll show you around and we'll have you meet Hakuno's father."

"We've met Hakuno's father. It's been a while since we've seen Kiri. Tell him to meet us."

Hakuno looks up at Romani, "I-I can't stay with them tonight?!' she whines a bit at that, she wanted to get to know them better. They're so handsome like out of a manga.

Her head hurts terribly, but she'll tell Romani that after they get settled on what to do here. She reaches out, her hand gazing Gilgamesh's hand. She doesn't know why, but she wants to hold his hand more than anything.

"Kiri?'” she doesn't know anyone by that name, "Um, my father is Marisbury Animusphere. This is my guardian, and my big brother, Romani Archaman. I have another big brother named Kirschtaria Wodime. He's a Master too. You'll meet him soon too."

Arthur goes to speak, but Gilgamesh moves to lean in. "Your father's name is Kiritsugu Emiya. He is an 'accountant' and a mage. You have one brother and he is younger. There's no Archman or Churchy Wood involved. Have you forgotten so much in such a small span of time?"

"I don't think she remembers, Gil," Arthur warns.

Romani frowns at them, moving to pull Hakuno back over.

"Hakuno has been raised here in Chaldea," Romani tells them. "If you knew someone like her, then I'm sorry. Hakuno's just a kid still. It's not safe for her to be alone with a servant here either. We do not know anything about you both and you haven't been registered. I'll have to keep you contained in one area for the night."

Hakuno frowns a bit, did they know someone else by her name before? She wishes she could be that person for them.

She can hear the two go back and forth in a language she's never heard before. Gilgamesh sounds pissed off, Arthur is trying to calm him it sounds like.

"Romani, if I can't sleep next to them, then can I sleep near them? Maybe in a room next door?' there are tons of empty rooms in Chaldea right now. Those with the ability to become Masters are slowly trickling in, but they still have a while yet before all one hundred of the Masters get here.

She hugs Romani tightly, _"My head hurts, Romani. I just want to hug these two right now. I can't explain it. Is that normal when you summon a Servant?"_ she asks in Japanese. She didn't see anyone other than Ophelia want to do that with her Servant, Sigurd, but the woman held herself back.

The last thing he needs is for her to go hugging up on her servants. Masters are supposed to be impartial to their servants. Not to mention, the girl was practically a child.

_"I can understand Japanese,"_ Gilgamesh points out, moving closer to her _. "And what you feel is natural. Come. We'll rest somewhere together for the evening and you can explain your world to us in the morning. If your head is hurting, then you should not strain yourself."_

He almost wants to go along with that idea. The only problem is he can see that glint in his eye, almost impossible to detect. It was a gleam that said he wasn't going to his own room but was going to be instead cuddling up to Hakuno.

Her body moves seemingly automatically, she leaves Romanis embrace, her arms wrapping tightly around her Servant. He feels so warm, like the summer sun. She can hear Romani scolding her gently for that, but she doesn't care. She'll just promise to buy him Magi Mari merchandise with her allowance for this.

"We can go to my room," Hakuno whispers to Gilgamesh, nuzzling against him. "Romani can stay next door if he's really worried. He can keep watch for my father too." She'd rather talk to the man in the morning. Not now. She wants to get to know her Servants.

This isn't good.

Damn but this isn't good at all. What on earth is she thinking doing this? Romani runs a hand through his hair as he tries to think of something that would make the woman see reason. She still is too young for this. Summoning a servant to help around Chaldea? Fine. She could do that. He'd expected a child servant or a doting lady to come about. he'd seen some of the servants and he'd met Anastasia. He'd expected someone to match Hakuno's youth and naivety.

Instead, the man she was nuzzling was picking her up, pulling part of his armor until the blue fabric beneath it was released. Gilgamesh wraps his fabric around Hakuno and holds her against him, speaking again to the other man.

"I agree," Arthur tells him, nodding. "Hakuno, we will join you tonight and make sure that you rest soundly. You are quite young. Summoning a double servant is remarkably rare and may cause some adjusting to be necessary for you."

"I'm a doctor," Romani warns them both. "Don't think of trying anything."

The two pause, throwing him a look.

"I know she's your master and you have incentive to protect her, but Hakuno is still my charge and needs to remain safe. If there is any damage or stress put on her from you both, I need her in my lab for tests and for study, not kept away."

Try anything? What would they try to do? Hakuno wraps the blue fabric around her more, admiring how nice it both feels and smells.

She doesn't think they would hurt her if that is what Romani is thinking. She should think of a compromise that would make everyone happy.

"Then why don't we pull out the futon in your room, Romani? We could sleep in there tonight, and you could watch Gilgamesh and Arthur to make sure they don't hurt me." She could talk with them for a bit, and Romani gets to keep her safe. It makes them both happy.

"He has such little faith in us," Gilgamesh shakes his head a little, hugging her closer. "Arthur, I will leave the place for resting up to your discretion. I have no desire to bother with the mongrels tonight. Our master is tired and getting comfortable against me. We need to rest and speak."

"Hold on," Romani goes to argue, but Arthur is moving forward, giving a small bow.

"Hakuno is our responsibility. If you are insisting upon keeping an eye on her, then we'll do as she asks and remain on a futon for the night. Tomorrow she can rest in her own bedroom. We won't be leaving her side for now, not while her mana feels like it is a bit erratic. It's best we are here in case of trouble."

Running a hand through his hair, Romani sighs loudly. He doesn't like the way these two are looking at her. He knows that look, it's the look a man gives to his girlfriend or wife. Hakuno is a child who has never even been alone with a man other than his former Master's protege. Marisbury won't like this at all. He can't leave her alone with these two men just yet.

"We can stay in my room tonight, Hakuno. It might be the best way to avoid your father anyway." The girl smiles widely, letting go of Gilgamesh to hug Romani tightly.

"Really?!" She asks excitedly, "Romani, I'll buy you any idol stuff you want!" She feels incredibly tired though, "Can we go ahead and go to your room, Romani? I don't feel good." The summoning must've taken more out of her than she thought, she can't help but look back at her two servants.

Arthur and Gilgamesh. She can't believe she's seeing them after all the stories she's read. This is too amazing. Chaldeas summoning system is the best.

“Yeah, yeah. We'll talk repayment another time." Romani avoids the kings' glares at him for those words, moving to the door and motioning the three out into the hallway. He glances at their armor.

"What is it?" Gilgamesh all but hisses his way.

"Could you both lose the armor for right now? You'll wake up the facility."

A shrug, some light, and the two are suddenly before him and Hakuno in some casual formal attire. The nice slacks and fine shirts make them look more like rich snobs than kings. Well- His eyes are looking over the black button-up and cheetah print on the one. His clothing is practically screaming of a shithead.

He didn't like this at all.

"Come on, Hakuno." Romani keeps his hand on Hakuno's, leading the way back to his room for now. These two can keep up or be burned if someone else found them. He didn't really care which. They were dangerous, far more than he had hoped for Hakuno. They moved far too quietly. They kept helping Hakuno to keep that fabric around her shoulders, murmuring to help her with brushing her hair out or fluffing up her pillow a little before she goes to sleep. As he got the futon set up for them all. One offered to lotion her shoulders and back. The other offered to rub her feet to help keep her mana flowing nicely.

"Y-You both don't need to," Hakuno told them.

"You are our- master," Arthur sounded like he was stumbling to avoid another word. "We want to treat you right."

Y-You really don't need to." Hakuno replies meeting those green eyes, as the red-eyed king wraps his arms around her pulling her close to him. "I want to be able to do the same things to you guys. You both are my Servants. We're a team." She nods her head, finding her eyes closing, "I want to be able to take care of you both."

Romani frowns deeply at those words. She's getting too attached, too quickly to these two. He waits until the girl is fast asleep against Gilgamesh before speaking. Hakuno is a deep sleeper. She won't hear them speak.

"I might be agreeable, but her father isn't so," Romani tells the kings as he undoes his hair, letting the pink hair hang over his shoulder. "The director of Chaldea has kept Hakuno away from the outside world. She isn't allowed to speak with other men. She is young and naive. I am trusting you both not to take advantage of her."

These two are tyrants. Gilgamesh abused his people. Arthur taxed his people to death and fought countless wars. These men are snakes in the worst form.

"Listen to him," Gilgamesh mocks. _"I trust you both not to take advantage of her_ like we're infants. We have stated what we are going to do. That is more than you have done, mongrel. You know nothing about us, yet you dare to say such things."

"Leave him alone, Gorgeous." Arthur shakes his head. "It's not worth the argument tonight. Hakuno is sleepy. We're newly summoned. We need to assess the situation and then decide how to move forward. You are often the one preaching sense and patience."

"That is true, Husband." Gilgamesh nods a bit. "It is just bemusing, all of this. You would think she-"

"You would, but leave it," Arthur tells him. He wraps his arms around Hakuno a little more and smiles a the sleeping woman. "Hakuno is being very cute right now. She's so sleepy."

"I know enough." Romani replies, reaching over to turn off the light in his room, taking one last look at Hakuno. He needs to check her vitals tomorrow. Make sure she is okay.

"You, King Gilgamesh, are a tyrant. You abused, killed, and hoarded in your lifetime. Only changing slightly upon meeting Enkidu." The man is still as arrogant as ever, looking over Hakuno like a treasure to hoard.

"And you, King Arthur, was a warmonger in your lifetime. Betrayed by your sister and Mordred, you were left to die alone." He shakes his head, "Forgive me if I'm skeptical about you both being around Hakuno."

The two glance at one another before snorting.

"I am a king, but I am not a warmonger. My people found more peace than any king before me and I died in the embrace of all my children. All nine of them."

"And I have barely hoarded," Gilgamesh argues as well. "I have not abused anything. My people have been fine and have not had qualms with me or my husband."

Of course, they would say such things. Regardless, he has their official records. They cannot argue with facts and data.

He pauses at hearing Gilgamesh call Arthur his husband. Something isn't right here. Perhaps the summoning went a little wrong and planted memories into Gilgamesh's head that weren't there before. They also sounded like they knew Hakuno... Maybe from another timeline.

"I should let you both know. Whatever Hakuno you've both encountered before, isn't _this_ Hakuno. The Hakuno before you was rescued from her family's burning home after her father defeated her birth parents in a holy grail war. She's been raised here ever since." He can't let them know that he himself used to be a servant, and he cannot allow Hakuno to become aware that he is the one that killed her parents.

if that is the case, then this fool must think them from this world. That means that they did not meet. Arthur glances over to Gilgamesh a moment. _Let me do the talking. I know you are eager to hold Hakuno. I am as well, but we need to pacify this guy._

 _His mana is weird, husband. I do not like him._ Gilgamesh pulls Hakuno a little closer, resting his face in her hair. They have neglected Hakuno. Her hair feels so rough. It is like touching sandpaper. Her skin is a little better.

 _Patience, Gil. We will help her soon._ They had not come this far just to become influenced entirely by his dragon heart and the dragon's blood that now flowed in both their veins, worsened by the divinity that Gilgamesh had brought forth into their tied fates. Their first summoning together had left them to stare at one another's influenced appearance. His Sumerian script emblazoned into his Camelot armor. Gilgamesh's Camelot indoctrinated armor, scraped clean from its former Uruk script and blessings. They had looked into one another's appearance before their eyes had fallen to their swords.

Excalibur had been broken, cleaved down the center and its hilt looked like there was a screw at the end... a screw that he found fit right into Gilgamesh's altered Ea. The first noble phantasm that they'd done together had been something entirely different, bringing forth a power that neither of them had been prepared for.

The more times they'd used that noble phantasm, the more their habits and thoughts had bled into one another. Even now, he could feel Gilgamesh anxiously wanting to pull Hakuno into their own room and remind her of their past. He wanted to as well, as this man knew.

"Do not assume we are the same Gilgamesh and Arthur that you know of either, Romani," Arthur warns, glancing at the man more closely. "You know nothing about us or the wars we've fought."

"I am just asking you both to be careful with her." Romani pleas. "She's like a daughter to me. I care for her just as much as you two do. You can understand why I'm a bit nervous."

He still doesn't like this. Perhaps Marisbury can make these two see reason. "I'll check Hakuno's vitals in the morning since she seems weak, and she was complaining of headaches. Then, we'll take a tour around Chaldea, and you can meet the man you both will have to convince to allow you to be by her side. You will no doubt have to do the same to the young man Hakuno calls her brother. They are very protective of Hakuno, just as I am."

With that, he pulls the blanket over himself and attempts to get some sleep. He has a feeling tomorrow will be a whole day. He's treating himself to some sake tomorrow night.


	2. Wonky Nature

_Convince._

The man made it sound like Hakuno was a complete child. She was seventeen according to the two of them. She was almost an adult. They wouldn't be springing themselves upon her like wolves. Gilgamesh is opening his gates though, pulling out a couple bottles and a silken scarf.

 _Really?_ Arthur thinks Gilgamesh's way.

_It is bothersome. Besides, you heard that mongrel. Hakuno is weak right now. There is hardly anything better than a good lotion for easing stress on mana circuits and well- if we're doing her the favor of such a treatment, we should at least assist her in making her hair look like she is a whole package of worthiness for having us as servants._

Arthur shakes his head, but his hand is held out, accepting some of the lotion from the man and beginning to help. Hakuno seems to be a heavy sleeper since she isn't responding much at their touch. A soft hum here and there seems to be it.

_I need to fix her hair. She has split ends._

_You just want her with her old haircut,_ Arthur argues.

Gilgamesh raises a brow at him, waiting with the scissors in hand.

_...Damn it all. Okay! Okay! Fine, but at least give her her bangs back. I miss them too._ He'd enjoyed brushing them out of the way or having her come to him with scissors to ask about helping her to fix them back to their original length.

He can't help but think more about what that guy had said before. This Hakuno had lost her original family. She had been dragged to this place instead of being taken in by Kiritsugu and raised until she could go to college and enjoy her designing. The spunky, independent girl he had known and fallen in love with and rivaled against Gilgamesh for was gone. Well, drastically thrown into a new life and childhood.

They would need to think of how best to court her like this. She deserved to be happy, not trapped in fights.

* * *

_The flames burned brightly, the houses in the area are all on fire. She can hear the screams of those who lived in those houses, who were going about their day and were now dragged into something greater than themselves._

**_“To think that the Kishinami line of mages was hiding away in Kyoto of all places..”_ ** _The man’s gray-colored eyes look over at his Servant, before looking down to the girl in his arms, the heir to the Kishinami family crest would prove to be a worthy protege. He’s heard stories of the Japanese line of mages. How their ancestor was married to both the king of Uruk and the king of Camelot. The girls' mana was already a livewire of energy and power. He notes that she can’t be more than a year old. At her tears the man coos at her shushing her._

**_“You’ve done well Solomon. The girls' parents were smart to wait until it was only me left to show themselves. However, they did not expect me to appear with a man as strong as you. The Grail is yours. You’ve earned it.”_**

_He smiles over at his Servant._

**_“Would you like to hold her? If I remember correctly, you didn’t have such a good relationship with your sons. You could redo that relationship in a sense with Hakuno here.”_ **

_He only knows the girl's name because her parents were screaming her name as Solomon slaughtered them. That is of little importance though._

_At the shake of the man's head, he laughs a bit._ **_“Ah, you just want to get your wish granted._ ** _” He smiles down at the girl._ ** _“Hakuno, would you like to become a proper mage? At my guidance, you will be able to obtain the stars if you so choose.”_ **

Hakuno groans sitting up. She hates sleeping next to Romani. Romani is nice enough, she loves him, he’s like a brother to her, but when she sleeps next to him, she has these weird dreams.

She looks down to either side of her to see the two men she summoned next to her, sleeping soundly.

That’s right she summoned them…

She should let them sleep. They’re probably tired. Still, her hair feels lighter for some reason. She shrugs it off, instead choosing to admire the two kings she’s summoned instead.

He feels her stirring, bringing him to open his eyes. Gilgamesh looks up at her, all soft brown hair and lithe frame. Those honey-colored eyes are looking down at him, openly taking in his presence.

_"Arammu,"_ Gilgamesh murmurs sleepily. She should be back in their arms. It's late. She must be tired. Seeing her groggy and glazed over look is only making him more assured that she needs to be resting between himself and Arthur again.

Then again, Gilgamesh takes in more of the scene before him, noting the steel and florescent bulbs above. Despite them being off, there's no mistaking that the room is nothing more than a cell in this frigid place. The woman before him has been raised in concrete and steel, lacking comforts and pleasure. She wasn't the same.

"You are foolish to be up so soon," Gilgamesh tells her, pulling himself together. It's easier to be indifferent without Arthur's self-controlled feelings being shoved his way. All this time and they are still working out these issues. "Lay back down and rest properly. Or is there something you are after?"

Hakuno shakes her head, "Just a bad dream." she whispers, she looks over at the clock, it's only five in the morning. She still has time to sleep a bit more. She lays back down facing Gilgamesh, unable to look away from him.

"I didn't mean to wake you up." She whispers, finding herself cuddling closer to the man while Romani is fast asleep. She can't help but wonder what that word meant he muttered at her. "W-What does that word mean that you said before?" She would try to say it herself, but she'd butcher it. "You sound nice when you speak that language." He sounds nice in general, but she doesn't know if she can admit that yet.

Gilgamesh watches her scuttle closer, the woman is as inquisitive as ever. Just so disappointingly young. They'll have to simply wait. It feels strange to go after her before she is at adult age.

"It means nothing." Gilgamesh closes his eyes, laying back down properly as the woman remains with him once more. "You should regain your strength. That mongrel of yours threatened that we would be removed from your side in the morning. You should make sure to have your energy to ensure that this does not happen. Infant or not, you have succeeded in summoning a servant pair of worth. You should be prepared to take responsibility."

_Be nice,_ Arthur chastises his way mentally. The fool reaches out, moving behind Hakuno and cuddling her close.

"Please don't mind Gilgamesh. He just wants to make sure you take care of yourself properly. We tried to help you recover your strength. Are you feeling better?"

_Spoken like a true knight in shining armor,_ Gilgamesh offers, snorting internally at the man's attempts at pacifying their master. _She acts too naive. We should slowly work on separating her from this wasteland of a building. I don't even sense life outside these walls._

_I don't either, but that makes me nervous about acting too soon. You're always telling me to be patient. Let's take this slow. At least try to look amicable. Last night you looked ready to kill Romani._

_I will not be wasting my time with the fools keeping Hakuno contained here. I will find her room and repair the damages done to it through neglect and scarce resources._

_Don't make me go in on this alone with her. What if there are dangers here? The last thing I want to do is get into danger without you around._

Gilgamesh smiles a little at that. His poor dragon can't handle being away. If only their master was wise enough to understand that feeling. Things would be so much easier.

"Get some rest," Gilgamesh insists, turning onto his side and moving closer to Hakuno. "You may or may not feel better, but you need to recover completely. Your mana is weaker than it should be and we will need to work on that."

Romani said that? She closes her eyes a bit, unsure of what to do while being held between these two men. She's never been held like this before. It's strange. She doesn't dislike it at all.

"My headache is gone." She tells Arthur, cuddling closer to the man. He feels so strong against her. As if he was made to fit right by her side. "I'm still tired. I didn't sleep the night before last either." She was studying magecraft, and hyping herself up to talk to her father about summoning a Servant.

"But my father won't take you both away from me." She won't let him, and she doubts that he'll do it once he learns their True Names. "Romani is just a worrywart, but he's really nice. He brings me things from the outside when he goes on business trips and stuff." He brings her snacks back from Japan all the time, and video games too.

"I'll do my best to be a great Master for you two. I already like you both. I hope you feel the same way about me, even if my mana is kind of wonky right now."

_Gil, she's so cute._

Gil finds himself snorting at the comment. Then he realizes. It's been a while since they've been around their master for more than a few minutes together. She most likely does not hear their thoughts.

"Your mana will improve. As for its wunky nature, that could be blamed on your not resting. You should be resting properly. What kind of mage skimps out on her beauty sleep?" He pinches her nose, frowning at her. "How absolutely senseless. Do not think you will be neglecting yourself in such a manner now that we are here. I have seen little of your self-care, but it is clear it is almost non-existent."

"Be nice," Arthur warns, aloud this time as he holds Hakuno a little closer. "Geez, Gil. And she said 'onky, not 'unky."

"Wun-Ki," Gil corrects. "Your accent is getting in the way."

"Your accent is changing the vowel."

"Your accent is removing a consonant."

"We're not having this debate again, Gil."

"We are not debating anything. We are bickering. Learn the difference, Husband."

Hakuno giggles, these two arguing over such a petty thing. It's too cute.

"I like both of your accents." Hakuno hums, as she reaches out for Gilgamesh's hand, trying to hold it like she's seen in the movies she's watched with Mash. "I could listen to you both talk all day." she admits quietly, before looking up at Arthur. Those green eyes of his shine in the darkness of the room. Romani has green eyes sure, but they're nowhere near as pretty as Arthur's.

"The kind of mage that skips out on her beauty sleep, is the kind of mage that was learning how to summon a Servant." Hakuno explains, "I'm so happy that it worked. I summoned such nice heroes, I'm lucky." She feels lucky anyway, regardless of what Romani might think. She's worked hard to get them both here, she won't have them ripped from her side so easily.

"You will be getting sleep anyway, do not think to use such a thing as an excuse not to sleep." Gilgamesh rolls his eyes at her, but Arthur notes he isn't turning down the hand holding his own. If anything, he seems to gravitate a little closer, still lying on his back, but closer to her.

He's not as unaffected as he wishes to be.

They have a while to get to know her, court, and celebrate her life with her. They need to make it count. They can start slow.

He's been thinking about this a lot while Gilgamesh closed his eyes and Hakuno rested. They can begin by seeing how Hakuno's life is here. Slowly introduce her to changes and improvements after they find problems, slowly train her to use her magecraft more effectively; they could really improve her quality of life until she wants to leave this place and go do something more.

Gilgamesh's tone is harsh, but his expression isn't, he hasn't taken his eyes off her since he woke up with her. He's not as scary as he attempts to make himself out to be. She leans closer to the man, her hair hanging over her shoulder, dangling in the man's face.

"But if I didn't stay awake, I wouldn't have gotten to meet you, would I?" Hakuno points out, her heart pounding as she leans in and presses her lips to his cheek, thankful that Romani is asleep right now. He would squawk at her for doing that.

"I'll rest with you both from now on. You are both so warm, I've never slept next to anyone other than my friend, Mash. She isn't warm like you guys at all."

_Arthur._

Arthur snorts at the man's warning call. Hakuno was being adorable. There was little helping it. She may not be their original Hakuno, but that was her, right down to the cheek kiss and innocent comment about how warm they are.

He moves to pull her down a little, giving Gil some air.

"I'm sure you would have found a way, Hakuno, but let's be sure to rest with one another from now on. I think it would be best for your safety and for all our mana that we remain with one another. If you're not tired, you could tell us about your life here. Where is this place, exactly?"

Hakuno turns on her side so that she's facing Arthur, trying her best not to drown in those eyes of his, as she registers his question, feeling happy that they like laying next to her too.

"Um, We're in Chaldea right now." Hakuno begins to explain, "Well, the official name is the **Organization for the Preservation of Human Order, Finis Chaldea,** but it's easier to just say 'Chaldea.' We're located in Antarctica." She reaches out and gently touches that blond hair of his, marveling at how soft his hair is. How is Arthur's hair so soft?! It's like silk.

"My father, Marisbury Animusphere, founded Chaldea a few years ago. My dad has a lot of ideas, and he's a powerful mage. He's a lord at the Clock Tower, and he's the Head of the Celestial Body Department at the Clock Tower as well." Her face turns red, knowing that they probably have no idea what she's talking about.

"H-He's just a powerful mage. Anyway, like I was saying, my dad has a lot of crazy ideas, but the Clock Tower wouldn't let him carry out his own experiments, so he bought Chaldea here. He created the summoning system I used to summon you both. Chaldea is basically a laboratory. My dad wants to preserve the Human Order above anything." She still doesn't understand what that means, but she's so used to hearing it at this point, that she wants to do the same thing.

 _Great, she's brainwashed._ Gilgamesh rolls away _. I'll take care of the mage. You can work on trying to talk sense into the fool. Listening to Clock Tower mages, Hakuno would never._

Arthur leans in, giving a soft smile to Hakuno. "How are you related to your father? I have heard of the Clock Tower before, but the Kishinami lineage has always stayed far away from the Clock Tower. It is not natural that you would become entangled in their politics... Or in preserving human order."

He doesn't quite know what that means, which means it might not be something good. It would be so nice if he could have his husband help right now with this. Hakuno's smiling and admiring him far too innocently. It's messing with him badly right now.

 _Poor dragon,_ Gilgamesh purrs his way.

 _Gil, please,_ Arthur glances his way. _I don't want to rock the boat too soon. If this Hakuno gets stressed and forgets things too easily as well, we could be in trouble. I don't want to deal with worrying about her memories. We have too few of them with her right now. Just... help me help her._

Hakuno swears the room got warmer when Arthur leaned closer to her, he's too pretty. Like an idol. It's making her heart pound inside her chest. They can probably hear it with how loud it's beating.

"To be honest, Marisbury isn't my father." She laughs a bit, "He saved me when I was a baby and raised me like his own daughter. He rescued me when another mage came in and killed the whole village where the Kishinami line was living at the time. It was mass genocide. I'm the only Kishinami left alive with their family crest." That thought still makes her a bit sad, "He was in Japan to visit Romani because he was in medical school in Japan. He and Romani saved me from a burning building, and er, now I'm here."

She leans her face in closer to Arthur's, "You seem to know a lot about my family though. I don't know what they're like, but I only stay so close to Marisbury because he treats me like family. He taught me how to be a mage, sent me to school, and took care of me when he didn't have to. He's family to me even though we're not related. He did the same thing for Kirschtaria another boy that's a little older than me." She hopes that makes sense. "I-I'm not blindly devoted to him or anything.

"We know a few things about the Kishinami line," Gilgamesh supplies before Arthur has the chance to try to even think. "Perhaps, in time, we can take the liberty of talking about it. Now is not suitable though. This place is lifeless, the decor is hardly suitable for habitation, much less being comfortable for a conversation about history."

At his words, it seems he's garnered the attention she had been focusing on Arthur. Those honeyed eyes are batting his way now, large and glinting. "You knew my family? What were they like?"

"Did you miss my statement? Later, we shall talk. It is still night here. You are still in need of rest." Gilgamesh pulls the blankets up and plucks the silk hair towel she had wormed her way out of over the course of the night. "Rest like a proper master and cease with this conversation about mages and pretty promises. If you seek answers, prove yourself to be a proper mage and rest like an adult."

Hakuno pouts a bit. So mean. She is still sleepy, she'll bug him about it later, for now, she cuddles up to the golden king, her eyes closing once more. "I'm not a kid." she huffs, "My birthday is in three months, I'm basically an adult already."

 _I don't like this Gil. This whole operation reeks of the mage association._ Arthur watches as Hakuno quickly falls back asleep. She really must've not slept hardly any before they arrived here. Good thing that there were here now. _She is talking about this man, in the same way she used to talk about Kiritsugu. The only difference is that Kiritsugu killed other mages. He wasn't a snake-like this man seems to be._

 _What happened to 'let's have patience' and 'let's take things slow',_ Gilgamesh teases for a moment. He notes the other's narrowing gaze and snorts softly. _I do not trust it either. She needs to stay with one of us at all times._

They'll handle this as they always had before. Survey the terrain, plan, execute whatever lays in their path, and get the grail. They'd gone through enough wars together at this point to be able to manage that now.

He glances down at Hakuno, adjusting the silken scarf over her hair again _. No matter how much time has passed, she still takes poor care of her hair. What is it with you both and your proclivity for avoiding proper grooming?_

 _I am taking things slow_ Arthur argues, _You don't know how badly I want to kiss her right now. It is hard to hold myself back from all the things I wish to do to her right now_. The doctor watching or not. He strokes her face slightly, earning a happy hum.

 _We'll get more information when Hakuno and Romani wake up. We can interrogate the doctor for more answers before we meet this snake of man that has brainwashed Hakuno into believing mages to be pure_. Their Hakuno would never idolize another mage that wasn't Merlin. He's not fond of that behavior at all.

Gilgamesh pulls the girl closer, pulling the blankets up a little more. _No cuddling rights for you then. You have three months, as the girl has stated. Do not think such things about a mere whelp._

He doesn't care for this either. Tomorrow he will judge the woman's acquaintances as well, determining who best to be around their woman. The doctor is... questionable. The only allowance is that he allowed her summoning to occur and was looking after her closely, accurately assessing that they were not as pure and noble as the little fool seemed to think. The wise assessment and responding action of forcing them to sleep on this infernal cardboard of a futon was a great judgment of whether they would bend to accommodate their master or try to manipulate her.

Romani could remain around for now.

Everyone else was a firm no until further notice. Gilgamesh presses his cheek to the silk scarf over Hakuno's hair, closing his eyes once more to get a bit of rest in once again. It's not often a servant can indulge in true rest.


	3. Warrior Princess Hakuno And Her Two Kings

Hakuno groans as she hears the alarm in the room go off. She knows what that means, it's time to wake up. She pulls the blanket over her head, her face pressing against Arthur's chest. She doesn't want to get up right now, but she can hear Romani calling her name already.

"Five more minutes." She whines, "I don't want to do Clock Tower homework today." Lord El-Melloi II was a shit teacher, well, not really a bad teacher, but just shit in sending her mountains of homework to do. Modern Magecraft Theories isn't even something she's interested in, but her father is making her take the class.

But not today. El-Melloi can call Marisbury for all she cares and bitch to him about her skipping class. She's not leaving her two Servants.

Arthur has to laugh a little, watching Gilgamesh cuddle her back and complain softly about annoying alarms. He's meanwhile pulling himself to his feet, getting up only to find Hakuno rolling to find comfort in Gilgamesh. The girl looks so much healthier this morning than she had last night. Even groggy and stubbornly trying to sleep in, she has more of a glow to her now, her hair gleaming with a healthy sheen of color instead of looking dull and greasy.

"Homework is for children. Princess, make the thing turn off," Gil complains again.

"Gil, come on. Hakuno, it is time to get up." Arthur helps to nudge at them, slowly pulling the blankets as the two whine and tug back. It's almost comical at their weak and sleepy bit of strength that is failing them at the moment.

Hakuno opens her brown eyes, to see Arthur standing over them, while Romani is pulling his hair back into a ponytail.

They're sleeping in her room tonight. Her bed is comfier, and there's no annoying alarms in her room. Romani or Mash is usually her alarm.

"I'm awake." She yawns, pressing a kiss to Gil’s cheek again. She likes doing that. She likes to see his reaction. It was cute last night, he looked as if he didn't know what to do, when usually he is so confident. "Let's get up Gilgamesh, before Romani gets out the cold water bottles and presses them to our face to get us up."

Gilgamesh looks pissed at the thought. It's almost tempting to try it sometime, but Arthur reaches out and helps the man get upright. No need to tease him about the cheek kiss either when he's this grumpy. So many decades and Gilgamesh still sleeps like he's dead. His outfit shifts, changing to a more formal set of attire, he moves to the doctor's mirror in the corner, fixing his hair into place.

"Hurry up, since we cannot simply rest properly. It is little wonder mages are so weak normally. You all have no concept for resting."

"That means good morning," Arthur murmurs to Hakuno, smiling a little. "He'll be better once he has a little coffee." He flashes a smile to Romani, opting to materialize a new outfit to keep his attire fresh.

Oh! Right.

"Hakuno," Arthur smiles at her, helping to remove the silk scarf on her hair. "I hope you don't mind, but Gilgamesh and I noted that your hair was in bad shape. We might have helped a little. We just didn't want you to run around in bad shape."

_We did more than her hair,_ Gilgamesh points out. _Aren't you going to point out that her acne is gone and that her sickly complexion is gone?_

_One thing at a time,_ Arthur argues mentally. _She might panic if I go 'we just went to town fixing your mana flow and healing your insecurities. You look more like your ancient goddess self._

Gilgamesh smirks a little at the mirror, those red eyes meeting him in the mirror. He's enjoying the thought of telling her that too much. Such a damn tease.

Hakuno smiles a bit, it seems Gilgamesh isn't a morning person either, she'll make him coffee then. He would probably like that. But her hair was in bad shape?

She goes to stand beside Gilgamesh noticing that her hair is a little shorter, and she has bangs now. "I always wanted bangs." she hums, she just never would attempt to cut them herself, that's why she's never bothered. "I love it, Arthur, Gil." Truthfully she only gets to go get her haircut when Marisbury takes her to visit Olga in London, but that hasn't happened for a while.

She can't help but notice her acne is gone too. She smiles to herself, those vitamins Romani has been making her take must've been doing the trick. Now if she could only remember to take them each morning....

She glances over to Romani, "Good morning, Romani." she greets the doctor giving him a smile, "What is our plan today? I think we need to register them with Da Vinci, don't we?"

"We need to register them and we need to introduce them to your father and to Team A. I'll be honest, there is a chance that you may need to allow them to have your command spells. You're not an adult yet and your summoning was outside the permissions of the base."

She needs to understand that the risk is strong for that. She needs to know that she could end up without servants again.

"I-If they do that, I'll at least request that you are permitted to spend time with them and have the opportunity to get them back upon your birthday passing. You are almost an adult. You should be permitted to have your servants that you summoned."

"Hakuno will not be surrendering her command spells."

Romani finds Gilgamesh moving forward, a set of fabrics in hand. The man is handing them to Hakuno.

"Change in the bathroom and then I will help you into your heels. This attire you have is atrocious and no doubt a decision by these other mages that this idiot speaks of."

Hakuno looks at the dress, it's a simple blue dress, to be honest, she wasn't expecting him to give her anything. He didn't have to do that. "You're being so nice to me. I, um, I'll go wear this for you, Gilgamesh." She isn't used to dressing up like this, but she'll try. She turns her attention to Romani.

"You have to help me convince father. You know him best. He still thinks I'm a baby sometimes." she tells Romani, sighing a bit, before giving Gilgamesh and Arthur a smile, and going into the bathroom to change. Maybe if her father sees she looks like a proper mage, and she summoned two Servants he'll be convinced that she can be helpful too. He doesn't just have to rely on Kirschtaria for help. She can support her father too.

The last thing he wants to do is help these two. If Kirschtaria finds them to be strong servants, he'll claim them for himself. He's just a doctor here these days. There's not a choice in the matter.

But he can't say that to these two. The dark formal attire and the golden adornments on them both make them both look lethal. It doesn't help at all with Arthur wearing gloves like he's going to assassinate someone. Life had been so much simpler before today.

"Hakuno will not necessarily be able to keep you," Romani tells them. "I know you are fond of Hakuno, but I can't promise anything. She's still learning. She's young and doesn't know what she's getting herself into."

"Then we will simply convince the man himself." Gilgamesh waves away the mans concerns, he is just as useless as any other mage, "The man is a simple mage, Hakuno is fond of him, but as you said, she is almost an adult, therefore she doesn't need to seek his approval on every little thing."

Arthur nods, "She is young, yes, but she is old enough to know what she wants. I realize that mage families work differently than human ones, but if her father has any love for her at all, he won't do this to her."

_If they force Hakuno to give up her command spells, we may need to slaughter our way out of here, Gil. I won't lose Hakuno for a second time._

"I am only warning you now," Romani tells them, but the bathroom door opens. Hakuno comes out and Romani has to pause.

"You look better, but come here." Gilgamesh is moving to her side, brushing her hair back and beginning to tie it into place behind her. "You should keep your hair out of your face for today. You need to look prepared for fighting, rather than looking like a child."

She doesn't look the same at all, not while in the attire. Mash won't recognize her. Neither will anyone else entirely. The glove the servant puts on her doesn't help either. The golden thing matches the clip holding her hair up. The feeling she's giving off is strong enough that he's noticing, despite his human form. These two are increasing her mana somehow.

"You look precious, Hakuno," Arthur tells her, moving to kneel on one knee before her. "Let's get some breakfast for you. I'll help you into your shoes and we'll get going. A proper mage begins the day with a good meal and with building a plan."

Hakuno looks down at Arthur before smiling, "You look like you're going to propose to me." she jokes before feeling her stomach growl, "Some breakfast sounds good. I can make Gilgamesh some coffee too." She'll make Romani that bubble tea he likes, to put him in a better mood. The man looks more nervous than she does about all of this.

She looks up managing to catch a glimpse of herself in the mirror, she almost gasps, she doesn't recognize herself at all. She had no idea she could ever look like that. She looks like Ophelia or Akuta does now. She looks like a real mage.

Oh dear lord, the girl looks like she's having a Tinderella moment. Romani groans, pulling her alongside him.

"Enough. I've had enough. We have work to do. Your master has classes to attend. You both need to come with me after breakfast. I will have you meet again for lunch." They can join her for breakfast, but then it's introductions. Good God.

Today was enough. It doesn't help that Mash is waiting, gasping at Hakuno the moment he opens the door.

"Hakuno! You look so cute!" Mash beams at her. "I don't know what you did, but you look great!"

"We're going to breakfast," Romani argues, feeling the two servants pulling at Hakuno to bring her back to them. He pulls the girl faster, trying to avoid the magi transformation cringe time. He's too old for this. The girl is basically his child.

"Mongrel," Arthur growls. "At least let us walk beside our master!"

Thank you Mash!" Hakuno replies as Romani drags her off, "I don't want to go to class today, can't I stay with you and my Servants?!"

"Hakuno, _please_ not right now." Romani begs the girl, looking over his shoulder to see the two men chasing after him, "I will not have you two fill her head with ideas! She is basically my child, and I will not have two kings whisper into her ear while she is impressionable. Not until you get blessings from Marisbury!"

He sighs, taking in a deep breath. "If you have any respect at all for your Master, you will follow the norms and customs of the Animusphere family. You may not like it, hell, I don't like it myself, but I am not the head of the family. Marisbury is, so you must play by his rules while you are summoned here

Gilgamesh snorts, watching Arthur and smirking a bit.

"We are following after a man who had our master go stumbling after him while he sprints from his bedroom with her. Is it mocking your culture to allow the girl to look nice? Are we mocking your norms by allowing her to take pride in her appearance and have mana that is not blocked by neglect and improper care? We are not doing anything that could be construed as unacceptable. If anything, we are allowing our master to feel strong on her own two feet."

"What Gil said," Arthur agrees. He calms himself a little. He doesn't like this. Hakuno shouldn't be dragged around like this. She'd just been happy. What was the issue?

Mash glances between the three men before her hand wraps around Hakuno's. "Um... I don't know what's going on, but maybe we could sit down and talk while eating?" Were the men new recruits? They could be mages since they're talking about mana. She moves forward, looking at the two men while keeping her grip on Hakuno. "My name is Mash. It's a pleasure to meet you both."

 _"You act as if I cannot tell the reason you are both doing this."_ Romani hisses in Hebrew, _"If Hakuno wasn't underage I know exactly what would've happened last night."_ He shakes his head, damn he really needs to stop speaking in Hebrew when he's angry. It was a bad habit. "You don't know what you're dealing with, with Hakuno's father. You need to take things slow, the man is going to fall over when he sees Hakuno looking like this."

Perhaps in a good way, perhaps in a bad way, it all depends on his former Masters mood today. "Let's get some breakfast together, and then Hakuno must go to attend her morning classes. She still has obligations to her family she must fulfill."

Hakuno swallows. The room is tense, she needs to think of something, Arthur and Gilgamesh look ready to kill Romani.

"Arthur! Gil!" Hakuno gets their attention. "This is my friend Mash. Mash, this is Arthur and Gilgamesh."

 _"How interesting,"_ Gilgamesh replies. _"A foreign doctor in the middle of the Antarctica. Tell me, how many Hebrew speakers are here?"_ He looks familiar. He knows this man. He's certain of it now. Which means there is something not right about him. He will figure out how he knows him soon.

"Lady Mash," Arthur gives a small bow to the girl, ignoring the doctor and Gil for the moment. "It is a pleasure to meet you. I am king Arthur of Camelot. The king consort to Uruk and the dragon of the demi-god. Hakuno took the liberty of summoning myself and King Gilgamesh of Uruk, the king consort to Camelot and the demi-god of the dragon's. We are Ruler class."

 _"My family is Hebrew. It's not a big deal."_ Romani replies simply, shutting that conversation down before it can even begin. Gilgamesh was too curious for his own good.

 _"Romani the Hebrew. How interesting. I know many from Jerusalem. I will be interested in learning more about you, mongrel._ " Gilgamesh smirks at him more, noting the way the man is frowning further. He is hiding something. There is something about his past that he has no intention of sharing. Which means that the man is more interesting than he had anticipated. _"I will look forward to our time together since you are so intent upon spending time with myself and Arthur."_

"You're king Arthur?" Mash stares at him, her hand releasing Hakuno's own. "Really?! Then that means Hakuno summoned two servants? Hakuno, that's amazing!" The girl beams at her friend. "Congrats! Although you're going to have to either join Team A or give them over. The new recruits are showing a lack at being able to sustain servants on their own for a long time. A new policy has been put in place that Team A are the only ones allowed to have servants."

Hakuno frowns at that, that's not good at all. "I don't mind joining Team A. I was going to go see my father after my morning classes. I hope he's not busy today." Even if he is, she'll force him to spend time with her. He's always weak to her tears. She'll use them if she has to.

"Hakuno, let's go eat before Team A shows up to the dining hall first. We need to avoid them right now." Romani reminds the group that and he needs to get away from this conversation about his birthplace with Gilgamesh. He has no intention of letting the man find out who he really is.

_Well done, Gil. I don't like that attitude of his,_ Arthur thinks.

_I think he might be related to that fool that loved Gudako,_ Gilgamesh thinks _. He bears a remarkable resemblance. Perhaps a descendant._

Hakuno is nodding at the fool though, pulling his hand into hers and leading them towards wherever this dining hall is. There's more sterile walls, more lifeless space lacking in any cheer or personality. There weren't even cultural designs or details in the space. Whoever had built this place and ran it, they had forgone the idea of making the place comfortable.

_I don't like it either, Gil._

It was hard to like somewhere that looked like a damn metal coffin. The dining hall seemed to quieten at their entrance as well. All those in the room wore the same uniforms. All lacked color, even their hair looking dim or shaven. A table off to the side looked like it was waiting for new people soon, sporting cards like reservations.

It was a prison. That was all he could think upon looking at the scene before him. Hakuno was squirming, her eyes going to a table nearby where the blond was eating and reading something.

"Come on," Gilgamesh pulls her in that direction, noting a few empty seats. "You need to eat."

"Ah, Gil, t-that's not a good idea." Hakuno tries, spotting Kirschtaria he was already awake and reading one of his mythology books. He's probably waiting on Daybit to show up so they can argue about history and mythology some more. But the demi-god isn't listening to hers or Romanis warnings, instead dragging her over to the man, stopping in front of him, forcing her to pay respects to him, since he is older than her.

"G-Good morning, Kirschtaria." Hakuno bows slightly, she's still unable to break that Japanese habit of hers, even though the man told her it was alright. "I hope you slept okay last night. It's good to see you."

The man looks up, staring at her a moment. He doesn't seem to recognize her, from what Gilgamesh gathers.

This was Kirschman? Gilgamesh rolls his eyes, moving her past the man. "You have said your greeting. It is time to eat, Kishinami. You need your energy today. Studies require focus and focus requires energy from food."

Mash is moving to greet the food behind him, but he can feel the other looking at them as Gilgamesh helps Hakuno to sit.

"I'll eat, but I really don't want to go study." Hakuno complains, finding Arthur moving to sit next to her, while Romani helps Mash get them food, glancing back towards them every now and then. "I want to stay with you both today. I don't want to sit in a class for four hours." It's not fair, she wishes she could be done with her studies early like Kirschtaria. Though she swears she can feel the man staring at her, but she shrugs it off.

Romani can sense the trouble brewing. Hakuno's father figure enters, his eyes going to the girl a moment before going to Arthur and Gilgamesh. One glance, then a look in his direction, and Romani knows he's in shit.

It doesn't help that Kirschtaria seems to be twitching a bit at the sight of Hakuno with two servants. The Team A all have one servant. Only one. Their intake of vitamins and their mana has been stressed since that moment. They've all been pushing at him to be able to help them sustain more, but he hasn't been able to help. Now the girl was running around with two.

He's in deep shit, judging by Marisbury's face. Hakuno won't be keeping her servants. He can feel his mood dropping as he sets the plates down at the table and settles in for breakfast.

Hakuno tries to eat, but she can't help but feel nervous. She glances over to Kirschtaria who hasn't taken his eyes off her this whole time. That makes her feel even more nervous. She looks to Romani.

_"He looks like he wants to kill me, Romani."_ She whispers in Japanese knowing the man can't speak her language, _"He's never looked at me like that before."_

 _"Hakuno, you might need to talk to Marisbury,"_ Romani shivers a bit. _"You could have introduced your servants a little bit slower."_ The poor girl, she was going to be in deep trouble for all of this.

What could he do though?

The more he thinks about it, the more he finds himself regretting the decision. Summoning a servant when she's never been in the field before; Hakuno cried about sad films and wounded animals. She had never seen war before. Now here she was with two servants, dressed like some warrior princess.

He'd messed up. There was no getting around that.

He picks at his plate, trying to think about what to do and finding himself stiffening as Kirschtaria smiles and pats his shoulder.

"I see you have had Kishinami summon new fodder for the training areas. This will be useful, Dr. Romani. I will inform the others that we will be testing the multi-servant handling this week, beginning today."

Hakuno stops, looking up at the man, "W-What? Kirschtaria, you want to fight me?" That's not good at all. The few times they've dueled with their magecraft he's beaten her severely, to the point where it takes weeks for her mana to recover. The tone of his voice has her shivering. It's not his usual warm tone with her at all, but one of hatefulness. "Can't we talk, and I can explain things to you?"

"There's no need. Romani has clearly been working on increasing our ability to handle servants with someone who has trailed behind in her magecraft. Your experimental risks are commendable. Now you can hand over your servants later. I have work to do. When you give your servants to Kardoc and Ophelia, enjoy some rest and recover your energy as best you can. I am sure the strain must be taking its toll."

The man turns, the smile not reaching his eyes as he walks off.

Romani sighs, standing up. "I will talk to Marisbury and prepare as he commands. Sorry, Hakuno. Like I said before, I'll try to get them to allow you to keep a servant once you're of age."

Hakuno groans, "I don't know why he thinks I want his stupid title of the head of the family. I told him months ago that he can keep being fathers protege, I don't want to steal that from him! Damn, if anyone should be mad it's Olga, fathers own daughter!" She stands up, "Marisbury picked me and him over her." She looks at Arthur and Gilgamesh, before looking at Romani, "I'm going to go talk to father. You don't need to get in trouble for this, Romani. He's probably in his office, I'll go talk to him right now."

That doesn't feel like what that man is mad about, but Gilgamesh moves to stand as Hakuno does. A shared glance at Hakuno has Arthur nodding. He smiles at Mash, continuing to talk to the girl about her studies.

"Hakuno, it's easier if we do this by the book from here on out. You proved you could summon a servant. Two in one go, in fact. You have to remember how that has turned out for others." The other members of the facility are already glancing their way, watching her.

"But he's acting as if I intentionally decided to summon two Servants at once." Hakuno complains, "I didn't go in the summoning room to piss him off, I went there because I was lonely and-"

Nevermind. "Let me go talk to my father. I'll fix this. You won't get in trouble, Romani. He can take his anger out on me if he's upset."

"Hakuno, don't rock the boat too much." She's avoided trouble up to this point, but that won't last forever, especially with how much he has to beg the man to treat Hakuno right. She's not as well-loved as she thinks.

He looks at Gilgamesh, noting the narrowed gaze on him a moment before Gilgamesh is moving after Hakuno, following closely behind her.

At least the other is understanding. "Do you have a preference on masters?" Romani asks the man, feeling his stomach twist at thinking of what Hakuno will be like after she loses her servants.

"Hakuno or no one." Arthur replies simply, "I will run myself through with Excalibur before I submit to these people, that clearly don't care about Hakuno." He whispers, "She has poured her love into that brother figure of hers, and he is treating her like garbage. She gushed to us last night about how much she admired and loved that blond-haired asshole. I will not submit myself before him."


	4. Head of the Animusphere Family

Hakuno leads Gilgamesh up the stairs, heading to her father's office, "Just let me do the talking, okay? He'll listen to me." At least she hopes so. She isn't too sure about anything anymore.

Gilgamesh stops her short, pulling a mint from the gates. "It is not a sweet, but I find that something to help keep the mouth shut when first beginning negotiations is helpful. When you are unsure of what to say or find yourself overly invested in the argument that you feel you may say something incorrect or childish, silently partaking in the mint will help. It will make it seem you are carefully considering their words."

He should simply tell the fool how things are going to be, but the woman is learning to fight her own battles. She is looking confident, something she had not shown since he had been summoned. He won't ruin this opportunity for growth. He can only hope that in the meantime, Arthur will come to a decision on what to make of the girl's friend and that doctor.

Thus far, he likes the idea of simply leaving with Hakuno in tow. Antarctica is no place for a new mage and master.

Hakuno nods, taking the mint from Gilgamesh before hugging him tightly, "It'll be okay." she says that more for herself than for Gilgamesh. She opens the mint and pops it into her mouth before taking a deep breath and knocking on the door.

"Father. Are you busy right now? May I come inside?"

Gilgamesh waits, hearing the man allow entry. He'd seen him in the other room, coming and leaving just as fast. He's not impressed.

Then again, how could a mage be that impressive? A nobleman from the Clock Tower was hardly something to find himself feeling much towards. An inherited title with little to nothing needed for being impressive or remarkable; the noble looked like a mere eccentric, with the funding to keep himself entertained.

The gaze he gave Hakuno was far from impressive. He seemed like the boy from before, taking a moment before realizing it was Hakuno.

"What brings you here, Kishinami?"

No Hakuno, not pet name; he had given his own children small endearments to show their uniqueness amongst one another, something to show that they were not only his but were his and of value. The man before him lacks that.

He sounds upset at her already. He must already know what she's done. "I think it's better if I just show you." she holds up her left hand, showing the man her command spells. "I summoned two Servants last night. King Gilgamesh, and King Arthur Pendragon. I wanted to prove to you that I can be useful too. I'm a capable mage as well. I want to be helpful to you since you've gone through the trouble of putting me through all of those surgeries to open up my circuits."

Surgeries?

_ Dragon,  _ Gilgamesh watches the other closely as he moves around his desk to look more closely at Hakuno's command spells.  _ Hakuno's been placed under the knife by her father. Ask that doctor about it. I want to know what exactly she has endured. _

A quiet agreement comes his way before he watches the man looking over her hand carefully.

"Romani, what do you know about the surgeries Hakuno has gone through?" Arthur asks, his eyes narrowing, he doesn't like that thought at all. Nothing has ever been physically wrong with Hakuno before, so why? "Please be honest with me, Romani. I don't want to blast this whole facility away and everyone in it with my holy sword."

"I just wanted to come and be honest with you." Hakuno tells her father, "I was nervous last night to come to tell you."

Romani sighs. "I don't know how you would sense that, but her circuits were trash. Lines of self-deprecating mages, or simply mages that didn't want to be considered mages. I'm not sure what the case was, but the Kishinami lines were dying up to the point where Hakuno was. We didn't even know they had survived anymore. Camelot is gone. Uruk is gone. The lines that had been keeping it going had blended their nations at the request of their people and had become a part of the countries they were in. The people that had been kings and queens died of old age, wishing to pass to be with those they loved."

He glances at the man, but he seems to be waiting.

"Hakuno had bad circuits, so we dug around and found the decomposing body of her ancestor of the same name. We transplanted some of the circuits and have been systematically opening them up over the years. She had her last surgery a month ago. It's one reason we're not wanting her to become a master. I thought she deserved the opportunity to fail."

That sounds bad, doesn't it? He'd hoped she'd succeed too, but he hadn't thought it through.

"You cannot keep them," Marisbury tells her. "Your circuits are fragile. You'll have half a life if you attempt to do so. I will have Kirschtaria come and take control of the servants. I am sure you and your servants will find this agreeable."

The man looks to Gilgamesh.

"I know you may be fond of Hakuno and she may seem fine, but her mana circuits are not strong and the temporary strength she has will wane. She may last a week, a month, perhaps you could have a year with her, but she will not last."

There's something in the eyes that tells him that's bullshit. A slight dilation. Hakuno is fine. The man is pawning them off onto the other man to be used as guinea pigs. He has to wonder if this fool even thinks himself Hakuno's father at all.

Kiritsugu had been right. Mages were worthless.

_ Gilgamesh, we have to get Hakuno out of here. I don't care how we do it, she cannot stay here. None of these people love her. They took our Hakunos magical circuits and place them into her! _

"None of you fools love Hakuno, do you? Tell me then, Why did this man even take Hakuno in when he clearly does not love her?" Arthur asks feeling his anger rising.

"I want to keep them." Hakuno replies, holding her hand up to her chest, "I don't care about dying as long as I get to be with them for a little longer." She's not giving them up.

Romani pales. "I-It's not like that! I told you, I think of Hakuno as my daughter. She wanted to be a mage. I only agreed to the process so long as Hakuno was of an age when the circuits could go in naturally and would cause her less pain by slowly being opened. I've been careful! I've- I mean, I don't know what to say other than I'm trying to make sure she is raised right! It's not like I'm putting her through torture!"

He runs a gloved hand through his hair, looking to Mash.

"We love Hakuno. She's like my sister," Mash tells Arthur, agreeing immediately. "She and I have been raised together. Just give a little bit of time for the place to make more sense. It's not that bad. Team A is unique. They don't treat anyone nice. The rest of us are fine!" She motions at the room, devoid of color and uniqueness.

Marisbury sighs, closing his eyes. "Let me talk to Romani. We'll test your circuits, see if they can survive a time, but you will have to share command spells. two servants is too much."

Arthur closes his eyes, thinking about the possibilities, as to why this man would let Hakuno into his home.

_ Gilgamesh, confront him about the fact he dug up our wife's body and put her magic circuits into Hakuno. Ask him why he would do such a thing. I am thinking that he wanted us summoned here first before anyone else, but I can't imagine him playing the long game like that. _

"But what if my circuits can withstand holding both Servants? Can I keep them both then?" Hakuno asks her father, "I don't want to lose either of them."

The mage is glancing at him, noting him taking in a breath. "I am busy today. Let me discuss this with Romani and we shall see. You are my daughter. If you can handle two servants, I should be amicable. I could discuss your working under Kirschtaria and keeping the servants. However, it is almost 8 and I know that you have studies to attend."

He glances to Gilgamesh again. "I would hate for your studies to be the reason you cannot keep your servants."

Gilgamesh moves to keep the woman close, holding back his question. Later, he will ask.

_ The mage is planning to talk to Romani. He's lying to Hakuno about her body being able to handle servants. I don't like it. _

They move to the hallway, with Hakuno smiling up at him.

"That went so well! I'll prove I can handle you both and we'll be able to stay together! I have to tell Romani and Arthur! Just wait, Gilgamesh. We're going to train hard. I'll show you I can be strong enough as your mast-"

She bumps into someone, almost falling had Gilgamesh not caught her. His scathing remark is killed the moment he looks at the redhead. Good god-

_ Gudako is here, _ Gilgamesh warns Arthur.  _ She looks young. _

What?! There's no way he heard that right, _What did we get summoned into, Gilgamesh?_ _This whole situation is leaving me with a bad feeling. If our Hakunos circuits are in this Hakuno's body, she'll be experiencing memories from her ancestor soon. She just had another surgery last month. She shouldn't even be up walking around!_

"That man is coming to talk to you about Hakuno's circuits. He's lying about Hakuno's body being able to handle Servants. If our wifes' circuits and crest is in this Hakuno's body, she can handle two Servants easily." Arthur tells Romani.

Hakuno's eyes widen, noticing the girl, "Gudako?" Hakuno asks, before hugging the girl, "Are you going to your studies too? I'll join you, we may different classes, but I'll put on headphones to sit next to you. I'll get my computer and join you." She needs to talk to her friend too. She's missed her a bit.

Romani pales. "You haven't seen how Hakuno is taking her circuits. I'll judge for myself. Not you nor Marisbury will tell me what to say or think about Hakuno."

He knows his former master well enough. If there's something he wants, he'll get it. One way or another.

Gudako laughs, being hugged by a woman that looks like a far more elegant looking version of her friend. She pulls back, looking her over. "Holy shit, look at you! You don't even have your pizza face going on and you had the worst pimple yesterday- no offense." Her friend looks amazing.

However, her eyes go to the blond next to her. Tall, carefully chiseled, arrogant looking; she can't help but drink in the sight and watch those eyes narrow.

"Hello," Gudako says, with every bit of emphasis on that word. "I'm gonna just... borrow my friend... and keep my wake up charm with me." Hakuno was skipping her own classes a lot, but for good reason. Olga would kick her out permanently if she fell asleep in class again. They're supposed to be learning how to be masters right now. The examination for who would be able to try to be a master in Chaldea would soon begin and the rest would be offered positions as support tech or sent home. She had her eyes on getting a servant.

"I'll be back soon." Hakuno promises, hugging Gilgamesh, "Romani can take you and Arthur to my room, and you can wait there for me. I'm sorry, it won't be exciting but I have to do my studies or my da- Marisbury won't let me keep you and Arthur."

Gilgamesh finds the woman pulling Hakuno along, gabbing over her attire. The woman seems eager to tell her about one thing or another, vanishing around the corner.

He looks around, frowning, and beginning to wander. The place doesn't seem to take note of him, especially after dematerializing. He notes a woman working at her desk, hounding men trying to bother her and giving her shit for her coffee. Further down the way, he notes a pale-haired woman, complaining about wanting to remove Gudako from her training classes and complaining about wanting to send back the new recruits.

Further from there, he finds himself in a library.

_ Stay with the doctor, _ Gilgamesh tells Arthur.  _ I think I have come across the records for this place. _ He quietly enters the room, looking around carefully at the shelving until his eyes take note of something called demi-servant testing. He pulls it out, opening the book and noting two tabs.

**Mash Kyrielight.**

**Hakuno Kishinami.**

What suitable reading material for the afternoon.

_ Let me know what you find, Gil. This place is making me feel sick to my stomach.  _ Arthur sends to Gilgamesh. A doctor who says they care for their wife but does awful surgeries on her, a man who claims to love Hakuno as his daughter but allows his protege to talk to her in such a hateful manner. If one of his sons talked to one of their sisters in the way that blondie talked to Hakuno, they would've been slapped on sight, without question.

"Is there anything else I should know, Romani? You have to understand why I'm upset. Hakuno is in the reincarnation of my wife at this point. You would feel the same if someone did something similar to someone you care about." Arthur points out, his eyes scanning the room, noting more young adults joining Hakunos 'brother' at the table, greeting the man happily.

Romani sighs.

He doesn't like this. Hakuno is not his wife. She's not even an adult yet. She's been his baby alongside Mash. He's done everything for Marisbury and his exper- He shakes his head.

"I don't know what you're expecting. I told you, they're not the same person. They are two entirely different people. If you'll excuse me, I have to get to work. Please accompany Mash today. She has some tasks that would be helpful to have someone join her in doing."

He meanwhile, has his own master to see to.

Perhaps at one point, they were, but the circuits have modified her personality so much that she is basically his Hakuno now. It all makes sense now, why last night she sounded so much like their Hakuno. He looks back to find the doctor gone.

Damn this man. He's starting to see what Gilgamesh meant by being a descendant of Solomon. The man is slippery just like that Hebrew king that gave them problems before. Still, Mash is looking up at him excitedly, "I hear I am to join you today. After we're done, can you escort me to my Masters' room, so that I may wait for her there, Mash? I'd appreciate any and all help you can give me."

Mash smiles brightly at him. "I would love to. I've read a lot of stories about King Arthur. You'll have to tell me what you remember. Did you really love Guinevere so much that you got mad at Lancelot and banished him?"

She'd always loved hearing the stories of Guinevere and Lancelot, but hearing how sad Arthur had been, she couldn't help but to want to hear his side of things. It had always irked her to know Lancelot had gotten away without much trouble.

Arthur pauses. That's.... not correct. At all. His stomach twists a bit, "In my world, I never married Guinevere, Mash." Arthur explains, "You may find it hard to believe, but I married someone with the exact same name as Hakuno." In this world is Artoria the Arthur the public remembers? That sounds like something the female version of himself would do. That woman is a beast, no a full-fledged dragon. He could see her killing Guinevere and Lancelot after banishing them both.

"O-Oh..." Mash pauses. "I didn't know. I guess that would make it a bit awkward for you and Hakuno. It's a good thing you have that other guy around to help make sure you don't get confused. Is he your brother? Is he Gawain or Bedivere?"

"Um..."

This is awkward, how to explain this...

"H-He's my husband. That other guy is King Gilgamesh from the Epic of Gilgamesh. He, myself, and Hakuno were in a polygamous relationship when I and him were alive.

Mash could feel her face burning. She averts her gaze, trying not to say anything weird to that. The king and his lover had been summoned together by someone who had the same name as their wife.

"Do you- Do you think Hakuno is related to her?" Wasn't it weird? That had to be strange. She shakes her head, moving to stand up quickly and bow.

"I'm sorry. It's not my business. I'll lead the way to our duties for today. Lev is being quiet lately so I thought it would be nice to take over his tasks so he doesn't get in trouble. Please follow me. We can forget my questions."

"No, it's alright, Mash. You have nothing to apologize for. I was attempting to find that out for myself as well."

Though, he feels as if he already knows the answer. The mage was thinking far, far ahead when he adopted Hakuno. He found out the truth about the Kishinami family's ancestors somehow, knew that a woman named Hakuno was married to them both. He thought his Master at present would have those same genes. Little did he know, that her circuits were corrupted, so he dug up his wife- That thought makes him want to throw up. Hakuno should be resting peacefully in Kyoto with the lineage she helped to rebuild, not being used for a mage's twisted experiments after death.

The mage kept her lonely enough so he knew she would go seeking companionship from a Servant, using her circuits as a catalyst she summoned them both on accident. Marisbury probably wishes to keep the pacified with Hakuno for whatever game he is playing. He doesn't like this.

"Lead the way Lady Mash. I am in your care today."


	5. A Baptism of Fire

Gilgamesh feels his stomach twisting. 

The man, Marisbury, didn't care at all about servants. This wasn't about servants at all. He was experimenting. Taking servants, the man was trying to create demi-servants, humans blended with the spirits of those summoned. Mash was a success. Hakuno, meanwhile, was incomplete. The spirit had come, but the power was missing. They'd dug up Hakuno's body just to try to merge her power in by force. 

The girl was a toy, as was her friend.

Anyone summoned would be in the same position. There was no choice in the matter for them. All these mages thinking themselves powerful and strong were being trained like cattle. He needed to get Hakuno and her friend and leave. The only positive side was that none of this looked to be the doctor's doing, not exactly. The notes made it sound like he was only aware of Mash. 

He closed the book, moving to replace it on the shelf again when he felt something pass through him. A flicker of clairvoyance. 

He needed to go to Hakuno. Now.

Hakuno reaches over to wake Gudako up, going to tease her about the fact her charm didn't help her at all. When suddenly a loud alarm begins to blare, right before the power flickers off. 

_**A fire has broken out in the Central Power Station and Central Command Room All staff must evacuate at once.** _

A second later something oud hits, shaking the room. The other kids are standing up, even Team A looks a bit concerned.

"G-Gudako we have to go!" She shakes her friend awake.

The rumble shakes the ground, rousing Gudako from her odd dream of mystic tattoos. She blinks, disoriented as the shouting begins and the running starts. Hakuno is shaking her now, trying to say something, but there's another explosion of noise and her ears are ringing. A fire is breaking out in the room.

This can't be happening. 

Chaldea is in the middle of literal nowhere. What the hell is happening?

They got to get out of here, she looks over to see Team A has already left. Who knows where they went. They should do the same, however. She grabs Gudako's wrist. She needs to find Gilgamesh and Arthur.

Gudako goes to speak, but there's another loud crash and Gudako finds herself about to shout. The beams! 

The ceiling above them is bursting apart, the beams and the steel rods going to move when she feels arms wrap around her. Her body is flung forward, slamming against a hard chest and Hakuno a second before she finds herself coughing. 

Her eyes go up, noting the blond from before. He's cradling her and Hakuno close, shouting but she can't hear him. Whatever he's saying, it doesn't matter. Another boom comes, her body and Hakunos all but squished against one another and tucked in his arms. A series of lights come overhead before she sees blades all around them.

"Do not move," she hears over the ringing in her ears. "Don't you dare move." 

Say no more, Gudako thinks. She clings to his shirt tight, refusing to do anything other than cling to Mister Hot But Deadly.

What the hell is going on?! Hakuno thinks to herself, clinging to Gilgamesh as tightly as she can. Chaldea is away from civilization! Who would want to attack them?!

This is bad, she hopes Arthur, Mash, and Romani are okay. She can't help but feel as if she's seen these gates before though. Her head is starting to hurt again, and not from the explosions. 

"Gilgamesh!" She calls, right before the final explosion hits, sending Gudako almost falling if she didn't catch her in time. She doesn't understand what the hell is happening. None of this makes sense.

_HUSBAND! WHERE ARE YOU AT?!_

He can't hear well enough here. Gilgamesh pulls the girls close and looks at his shields of sword blades, watching debris trickle through. It won't be safe right now to stray from here, but they can't stay long. There had been a wall behind them. 

He glances behind himself, opening another gate and a hole from there. He pulls the two into his arms. 

"HOLD YOUR BREATH!" 

He runs, leaping in and out once more into an empty hall, the bodies littering the floors. He can see a plane flying out outside the window, leaving the base as the alarms go off. The alarms are sounding around them as he watches and senses a large body of mana leaving.

The so-called elites are abandoning ship. 

_Dragon, where in the gods' names are you?_

They were too late. 

As soon as the explosions went off, Mash dragged him to the mage's office, where the man lay alongside his daughter with gunshot wounds to the head. 

Damn it all. He picks up a sobbing Mash and begins to run. 

" _Where the hell are you, Gilgamesh?! I have Mash with me, is Hakuno with you?!_

 _Hakuno and Gudako are with me. Where are we meeting?!_ He runs, blindly, hating every second of it as he runs. He feels a rush of power coming from the distance. He's not sure what to make of it, but he soon finds that he doesn't have to. 

The moment he reaches the intersection in the hallway, he finds himself nearly careening into Arthur, the two of them awkwardly dancing around one another to avoid falling and dropping their women. 

"Damn you," Gilgamesh curses. "What happened? Did you see what is going on?! The room I was in had bombs go off."

"We were near the command room when the bombs went off!" Arthur explains watching Hakuno refuse to let go of Gilgamesh "Mash had a bad feeling and dragged me to Marisburys office. The mage is dead alongside his daughter. Whoever did this, they had a vendetta against the man.

Gilgamesh looks around, "There was a man's office I was in before. Someone by the name of Lev..." 

He looks at the three women, all three of whom seem to be out of it. "Gudako. Hakuno. Mash... One of you has to know where that room was. I need to get back there." 

If the man was dead, then the man who had helped him, Lev, was either responsible or was next. He needs to know what was happening. If nothing else, he needs to get these women to safety.

Mash is crying. Gudako looks scared out of her mind. Neither of them is in any condition to lead Gilgamesh there. 

"I know where Levs room is." Hakuno tells Gilgamesh taking him by the hand, "I'll take you there. It isn't far from here. Arthur, can you wait right here, and watch Gudako and mash? Maybe wait for either Da Vinci or Romani to show up?" She really hopes they're alright. Da Vinci spends a lot of time in the command room...

"Let's go, Gilgamesh." She tells him quickly, dragging him down the smokey hallways.

 _There was a maiden I saw_ , Gilgamesh thinks in Arthur's direction. _Follow behind. She was running things in a lab not far from where Lev's room is. Go in there. The walls had looked secure._

Gilgamesh meanwhile tightens his hold on Hakuno, following her carefully. His hands pull a fabric from the gates, handing it to her if only to help her from inhaling the smoke.

Arthur hauls Gudako onto his back, before picking up the crying Mash into his arms, following after Hakuno and Gilgamesh. What a mess. 

Pulling the fabric over her mouth and nose, Hakuno leads the man down a few more hallways, the smoke making it hard to see, she points at the room across the hallway, this is it. She forces the door open heading inside pulling Gilgamesh along with her. 

"This is it." Hakuno breathes, coughing a bit. She's not sure what he wants in here, but she's led him here, just as she wanted. She's still having a hard time believing Olga and Marisbury are dead... God, who would've done that?!

Everything is burning. The moment that she opens the door, Gilgamesh watches the smoke billow and pulls Hakuno back out. The research he'd read before, it's no doubt amongst it all. He presses her close, looking around a moment before he doubles back. There are more lights flashing. He can't comprehend the words over the alarms, but he heads back towards the room he'd seen before.

"WE HAVE TO STOP THE SINGULARITY!" The woman was shouting. The people in the room were panicking, putting out fires, and monitoring the scene on the screens. A mapping was up of the place, areas gone, health monitorings showing on another screen. The flat lines were endless on certain rows. 

What the hell kind of world was this?

"Da Vinci!" Hakuno calls, sighing in relief at seeing the woman, thank god she was okay. She can see Arthur gently sitting down Gudako, but still holding Mash close to him. 

She pulls Gilgamesh close to Arthur before hugging the man from behind. "Thank goodness you're okay, Arthur. You and Gilgamesh were my first thought."

Gilgamesh has no doubt that Hakuno thought that. It makes sense, given what he read. He can see the woman moving to Gudako, pressing strange rainbow gems into her hand.

"We don't have a choice, given all that has happened," the woman says. Gudako nods, moving with Mash slowly collecting herself and hurrying after her. He's not sure what is happening until he sees the lights. 

She's summoning a servant. Gilgamesh notes.

Gudako?" Hakuno moves closer to her friend running after her, she needs to make sure she's okay. "Let's go see who she summoned, Gil, Arthur. It'll be nice to see who our ally is." She hopes she summons someone as nice as Gilgamesh and Arthur. Gudako deserves someone that will treat her right.

The man standing in the room looks pretty relaxed, glancing around with his weapon in hand. The green hair is bright, the smile is as relaxed as that doctor that Gilgamesh had seen before. 

Gudako looked surprised just as much as the man standing before her. 

"She's been successful," the woman- Da Vinci declares. "Let's prepare the rayshift! Someone see if they can find Romani while we're at it! Communications are so bad! We need things fixed, but we have to stop the singularity!"

"We should try to find Romani." Hakuno tells the pair, "I don't know where to start, but we could find Romani, and then go inside the rayshift after Gudako. I don't want her fighting all by herself."

They could try in his room first, maybe he went back there to get something important. She wouldn't put it past him to go stuff all his Magi Mari merchandise into a bag before dragging himself here.

"You inhaled a lot of smoke," Arthur reminds her, you should take a minute to breathe." He lifts a hand, pulling a goblet while Gilgamesh pulls some water from the gates, filling the cup for him.

"Drink," Arthur tells her, settling her into a seat. "Romani has time. You won't if you don't get something into you." 

Gilgamesh nods, glancing to the monitors not far. It looks like the man's breathing is stable. Wherever he is, he isn't dead.

Coughing for a quick second, Hakuno drinks deeply. The water feels so nice and cold. She glances up at Arthur, "Marisbury and Olga... they're really dead?" 

She doesn't want to believe it, but she knows that Arthur wouldn't lie. She just wants to be sure.

Arthur shakes his head, moving to kneel in front of the girl and pat her knee softly. "I don't know what all they meant to you, but... unfortunately, they're no longer with us. It's important for us to save who we can and protect everyone right now. Drink the water and take a few deep breaths."

Gudako is going to another room with her new servant and mash. The woman- Da Vinci- is running things at the moment. 

"Take as long as you need," Arthur tells Hakuno gently.

She can't even cry. To be honest, she can't even feel anything for the man. 

"I thought I'd be sadder, you know?" Hakuno admits, "I don't know how to feel if I'm being honest." She admired the man for being a strong mage, and for taking care of her but...

Romani is more of a father figure than Marisbury ever was. 

"He wouldn't even call me by my name." She shakes her head, drinking more of her water before standing up, "You're right, Arthur. We should go save Romani. I want to protect you two, Gudako, and him the most."

Arthur nods to her, moving to stand up himself. "Gilgamesh and I are here to help you. In whatever you need. That's what being a servant is about, being able to do what our master needs."

He looks to Gilgamesh, but the sound of him noting the map of the building and the missing parts can be heard quietly in the man's head. He doesn't seem to be paying any mind to their conversation.

_You are handling that. The fool will want to move around the building_ , Gilgamesh thinks his way. 

_Your multi-track train of thought is scary sometimes, Gil._

The man makes a small smirk, the thing fading as fast as it came.

Hakuno takes Arthur by the hand. He's so sweet and kind. God, but she wants to become the best Master for him and Gilgamesh. 

"Let's go save Romani, Arthur, Gilgamesh." Hakuno tells them, "Then we're going to go help Gudako, and then I'm going to hold you both close to me tonight." 

Since Marisbury is gone, no one will try to take her Servants away from her now. She can just focus on learning how to be a Master on her own. 

She leads Arthur over to Gilgamesh, before taking the demi-god by the hand. "Can I ask for your help too, Gilgamesh? I'm going to care for you just as much as Arthur, but I need to find Romani first."

Gilgamesh looks down at Hakuno, watching her hold her hand. It's almost too funny. After all this time, after being around Arthur for all this time, his moon girl is holding her hand out to him and saying such foolish things to him. 

His hand wraps around hers as she wraps hers around his. He closes his eyes, chuckling a bit.

"As naive as ever. I suppose I'll humor your request for help since you have offered something in return for the effort." 

They'll find Romani. He is most likely near the coffins for rayshifts. His coms had been in and out. those in danger were slowly, one at a time becoming stable and noted to be in stasis. There was only one reason for that: they were getting help from Romani.

Hakuno nods refusing to let go of their hands, as she turns to Da Vinci. 

"I'm going to go find Romani, I'll be right back, and then me and my Servants can follow after Gudako!" With that the girl runs out of the room, taking the two men with her.

"W-We should go check the command room first, if he's not there he might be getting something out of his room." She has to hurry, she can't lose Romani, the man has raised her. He's the only thing she has that resembles a family.

The hallways were darker than usual. Sparks came from the ceiling in certain directions, steering them further and further into the depths of this maze of a place. The heating could have been in overdrive. It could have been the fires in certain parts of the building, where the remaining workers were attempting to control. Whatever the case was, the heat was rising, baking them as Hakuno called out for the doctor.

"We can't go this direction," Gilgamesh warns her. There were blockades down in this direction, attempting to keep out the snow and frigid temperatures. The connecting building was no doubt already below survivable temperatures now, with anyone there now dead. 

"Romani's room is that way," Hakuno argues.

"How often do you go back to your room in the middle of the workday?" Gilgamesh shakes his head. "Where would Romani go during his day, if he was wanting to avoid being dragged into work?"

Those honeyed eyes narrowed a little, her gaze shifting to look in the direction they'd been intending to go a moment before she gasped. 

"He would have gone to Gudako's room!" Hakuno exclaimed. "He goes there to watch Magi Mari!" 

Magi what-

But Hakuno's hands were holding his and Arthur's own, rushing them back the way they came. 

"Gudako's room is in the main part of the building, on the bottom floor near the sewage rooms," Hakuno explains. 

The lucky damn bastard. 

Clear of the bombs and the busted parts of the building, but close enough that he could spring into action; the man had lucked right out.

Hakuno leads Arthur and Gilgamesh down the hall, vaguely, she can smell the familiar scent of Romans Mana. 

"He's in Gudakos room!" Hakuno exclaims, leading them to her friend's doorstep.

"Hakuno, allow me to go inside first," Arthur tells his Master, it might not be safe, the man was hiding, it wasn't a good look.

But Hakuno isn't listening, instead, she's shoving inside first, gasping at the sight of that rosè colored hair.

"ROMANI!" Hakuno all but roars, going over to the man and hugging him tightly. Arthur spots blood on the front of the man's clothes but keeps quiet.

_Gilgamesh, I know you've noticed the blood on his front,_ Arthur doesn't like this, the man is suspicious.

He's not sure what to make of it, but he moves forward, swapping to his armor and preparing to pull Hakuno away if need be. He still suspects the man was pulling bodies in the halls to safety, but being in Gudako's room, it could be that he was merely hiding and wounded... or worse.

Arthur does the same, summoning his weapon in case things go downhill. He trusts this man as much as he trusts a rattlesnake, but Hakuno is clinging to him as she used to do to Kiritsugu. 

"Romani, thank goodness you're okay! I was so worried." She hugs the man tightly, looking over his face, "Things aren't so good right now, Marisbury and Olga are... Dead." She whispers, shaking her head. His protege is gone too, she doesn't sense him anywhere. 

"We could use your help, Romani. Da Vinci can't run things alone, and you knew Marisburys' plans the best. He never considered me a daughter, so I can't run Chaldea... Only you can, Romani." She hopes she's getting through to him, his eyes look so dead inside. He's not responding to her at all.

"Are you Injured anywhere? I can heal you." She offers.

"I-I'm alright, Hakuno." Romani takes a breath, smiling softly to her. "You need to take your servants and head to the command room. I'll follow along soon. I thought I'd left something in here, but it seems that I was wrong. I'll be with you in a few minutes. I just need to check my room."

Gilgamesh shakes his head.

"Fool, you don't have a room at this point. The bombs exposed that part of the building. That whole section is now gone. You've got blood on you. Let Hakuno look."

"I'm fine," the doctor says again. "But others will need mages. you need to join Kirschtaria and save others."

"Kirschtaria is gone," Hakuno tells the doctor her brown eyes are looking over him. "I don't know where he went but all of Team A is gone. They abandoned ship." 

Cowards. All of them. They have their own Servants but care more about themselves than others. 

"Gudako summoned a Servant to help, Some green-haired man. I didn't catch his True Name. I was going to go help Gudako when I found you. It's just you, me, Da Vinci, Mash, and my Servants and Gudakos Servant now. All we have is each other."

"Then we have no time to spare." Romani nods to her, turning to the two of them. "Let's get moving to the command room. Since you are here, it might be best for you all to handle helping with the facility member rescues if Gudako has her servant helping. We need to see how many master candidates we can save."

Hakuno nods, "Whatever you need, Romani. I'll do it." She turns to her Servants, "Let's go back to the Command Room and see where things are with Da Vinci. Maybe she's spotted more Master candidates that need our help." 

She has to help, something in her just doesn't want to see more people hurt or possibly killed. No one deserves to die so far away from their home and in a place like this.

He still seems distracted. 

Hakuno is already taking his hand, asking Arthur to follow her and keep his eyes peeled for more masters. She is looking entirely focused on rescue and heroics, but the doctor himself doesn't seem necessarily in the same mindset. His eyes are looking towards a jewelry box in the room, of which held nothing of interest. The tiny box is empty on the bed.

"Follow us, mongrel," Gilgamesh tells the man. 

"You're right, Gilgamesh," Hakuno nods at him, looking at Romani. "You should follow us, Romani. We'll get you to Da Vinci first. If there's another explosion, Gilgamesh can protect us and so can Arthur. They have already protected me and our friends. You'll be much safer with us."

The man nods, giving the room a quick frown as they leave the room.

Something had been stolen.

I need to talk to that doctor later, Gilgamesh tells Arthur. I think he lost something.

We'll both talk to him, Arthur sends his way keeping a close eye on the man, whatever was stolen, it must've been important enough for him to sneak away like that, scaring everyone half to death.

Hakuno quickly leads the room, where Da Vinci is still barking orders to everyone. From what Hakuno can hear the few Master Candidates they've found have had to be put into stasis at once. They won't be waking up anytime soon.

"Oh thank God, Hakuno, Romani!" The woman exclaims, "Good God, I thought we lost you two along with everyone else. We're in deep shit." Her eyes fall to the two men standing behind Hakuno, her eyes falling to Hakunos command spells.

"Romani!" Da Vinci squawks, "The baby summoned two Servants, and you didn't bring her to me at once?!" No matter, that can be taken care of later.

"We need to send Hakuno and her Servants into the singularity. Gudako is having a hard time fighting with her Servant and could use the help. Artoria Pendragon is fighting her hard." 

She won't mention that the woman summoned David just yet. Romani might not enjoy hearing that bit.

Romani nods, moving to Hakuno and the two. "I need you both to move into the rayshift room. We don't have a second to spare."

Swallowing, Hakuno looks to her two Servants, she's a little scared, but these two look ready for a fight. They'll keep everyone safe. She just knows they will. 

"Let's go, Gil, Arthur. We're going to go help Gudako." She drags the two into the rayshift room next door, her eyes falling to the pod where Gudakos is, her body fast asleep while her mind is elsewhere. 

She isn't sure how this works completely, but she looks to the two.

"I'll see you both soon. We won't be apart for too long. This is safe." She thinks at least, hugging Gilgamesh first before going to Arthur. "I'll still miss you both." She doesn't like being away from them already and she hasn't even had them for twenty-four hours yet.

Gilgamesh glances at Gudako's form before he looks at Hakuno. "Hold on. What are we doing?" 

The command room is already telling them what to do. He can see the few workers that can move, push to bring Hakuno to another of those odd upright coffins, fitting her inside.

"Wait!" 

"She'll be fine," Da Vinci nudges them deeper into the room. "You're both going to migrate, dematerialize from here and materialize at your master's side. She'll be there, but she won't truly be there. You'll understand in a moment. Stay put. Do not mess with the pod. If you do, we can't assure Hakuno's safety."

He doesn't like this. They won't be moving!

_"Just wait,"_ Arthur commands.

_We're going to listen? After they were just fooled?!_

_Gudako is already there and fighting. You heard them. If Hakuno goes there but isn't truly there, she could be safer. Hakuno is trusting them. I think we should too._

_That sounds like a fool's errand. Do you have any idea what they've done to her already?!_

The room around them is gone a second before he can go on. Gone are the steel walls. Instead, Fuyuki is on fire.

Gilgamesh stares off in the direction of the Uruktech building, its windows blown apart and its workers long gone. The skies are black, the land burning in places like the almighty sun should have been in the skies. All the world around them, just as they'd lived in before, was dead.

"Move behind me properly, Princess," Gil growls.

"Already moving, Prince Charming," Arthur replies, his blade in hand as he takes in the scene. "We're near one of Hakuno's old design workshops." 

Somehow, he doubts that's still upright.


	6. Fuyuki and the End of Time

With a loud thud, Hakuno appears by the two Servants' side. The feeling of rayshifting is strange, she isn't sure if she likes it or not.  
  
"Gilgamesh," She calls, "Arthu-" She opens her eyes and freezes, unable to say Arthur's name completely. The world around her is hell itself. That's the only way she can think of to describe the scene, with the burning buildings, and the smell of death in the air.  
  
Just like in her dream The only thing missing is the shouts of her people screaming, and the smell of the tatami houses burning. She can feel her heartbeat quicken, finding it hard to breathe properly.  
  
 _"Hakuno, I can see your vitals from here. Your brainwaves are off the charts! I need you to take a deep breath and calm down"_ Romani's voice rings clear in the area, " _If your mind breaks while in the rayshift, it will break in this world as well. Hang on to your two Servants if you must, but please try to relax"_  
  
She tries to take a deep breath, looking beside her thankful that her two Servants are there with her. She moves closer to them.  
  
"W-Where are we?" She can see Japanese characters, so she knows they're in Japan, but she isn't sure where exactly.

Gilgamesh jumps a little if that slight hesitation was anything to go by. Arthur moves to Hakuno, carefully testing the strangeness of her presence being there. She seems to be there physically. There's something that isn't right, but it's not much different from how they're there.  
  
This must be what the others had meant.  
  
"Stay close to us. We need to find your friend and figure out what we need to do here," Arthur directs. His eyes go back to Gilgamesh, watching him take in the sight of one of his business branches burning away. The logo was changed, but it's still Uruktech.  
  
 _It's like if Enkidu and I didn't control the business, he thinks._  
  
Arthur pulls him over, away from the scene.  
  
"What are we doing here in Fuyuki, Hakuno? We need to stay focused."

“ _The rayshift to Singularity F was a success.”_ Da Vinci's voice comes in loud and clear, _"Now, I need you all to listen to me, because what I'm about to say is important: Your goal, Hakuno, is to investigate the singularity with Gudako, determine what is causing the singularity and eliminate it. You cannot get attached to anything you see or the people you may meet. They aren't supposed to exist in our world. Think of what you're doing as pruning a tree. You're cutting off dead limbs, or rather, timelines, that aren't meant to exist. For now, get to Gudako. I'm sending you the location now. You should see it on your screen in a moment. Get to her quickly, the Servant she is fighting is strong."_

Gilgamesh stares at the screen, frowning.  
  
The technology is a bit archaic in some manners. The pop up takes a moment, the lag and the quality less than adequate. Da Vinci's voice held a static quality in it, no doubt due to the manner by which she was sharing the information over whatever communications she had. _  
  
Gil, you're thinking tech again. We have to work here,_ Arthur thinks his way. _  
  
Group goals aren't necessarily my goals. I will amuse the fools, but that does not mean I'm going to rely on their technology needlessly,_ Gil reminds him. _Hakuno is not truly here and she could be here in better quality than she is.  
  
_ That is for another time though. Hakuno is already looking around, motioning in one of the few directions that are open for them.  
  
"We have to go this way," She tells them. "Let's hurry and save Mash and Gudako.”

The trio rushes forward, running down the burning streets as quickly as they can, Hakuno looks down at the screen noting that they're still going in the right direction before she spots a building with the characters for her last name on it. She stops for a moment, looking inside through the window to see drawings of houses and pallets for paint colors lying around. A splitting pain runs through her head.  
  
 _ **"My name is Hakuno Kishinami." She tells the blond in English as she opens the door to let him in, god, she hopes her English is okay, and she doesn't have a terrible accent. This mans accent is too cute...  
  
"Arthur Pendragon." The man smiles at her, and Hakuno can feel her knees go weak. This is bad. "It's very nice to meet you, Miss Hakuno."**_  
  
Arthur calling her name snaps her back to reality.  
  
"Your nose is bleeding, Hakuno." Arthur tells her, opening the gate to hand her a napkin, "Is everything alright?"  
  
She feels at her nose, staring down at the blood on her fingers for a moment, what the hell was that?

Gilgamesh glances over, noting the building a second before he moves to her other side. They don't have time for this. She doesn't need to remember everything now. This isn't the time.  
  
She can remember something though.  
  
 _We need to keep moving_ , Arthur sends his way.  
  
He hears it too, there's no mistaking the sound of metal against metal in the distance. The surges of mana are coming forth. There are servants fighting up ahead. He heightens his senses a bit more, noting something more.  
  
"Hakuno, we need to keep moving," Gil urges.  
  
There's a grail near. He's not sure how, since grails were not necessarily cups but rather the remains of those fallen, but someone had bothered to create a grail. That meant there was someone here more than happy to take their master if they weren't careful.

Hakuno nods wiping at her nose before running after Gilgamesh and Arthur. She can see two figures fighting in the distance ahead. The mana flow here is making her feel strange. That's what that weird memory was. Just a hallucination brought on by too much mana intake.  
  
That's what she's telling herself at least.  
  
Hakuno runs up the stairs, spotting Gudkao's red hair, she can see the green-haired Servant fighting against a woman with jet black armor and pale blond hair. Hakuno can't help but notice that she's holding a sword similar to Arthur's.  
  
"Gudako!" Hakuno calls, running up to her friend, "I'm here. I'm here to help you."

"HAKUNO! BE CAREFUL!"  
  
Mash glances in their direction, her shield blocking trouble as it comes clashing against her shield. The blond woman is all too familiar, bringing a laugh to Gilgamesh.  
  
"My time to shine," he purrs.  
  
"Gil! GIL! TOGETHER! WE AGREED ON THIS!" Arthur rushes after him as the man pulls open the gates, sending a series of weapons flying in the direction of the woman. Another servant comes flying out, heading for Gilgamesh when Arthur lunges to stop them. The green-haired man is back, blocking the hit as well.  
  
"Good to have backup," Green hair declares. "David. Who are you?"  
  
"The main team," Gilgamesh tells him, pulling out another weapon and smirking as the blond glares at him. "Arthur, take care of the faker who just tried to hit me."

Arthur looks up to see that familiar haircut. He almost pauses when he catches sight of his face, but he pushes forward remembering Da Vinci's words, just as the Archer attempts to shoot another arrow at him. Shirou was always talented at archery.  
  
"No matter where I go, I cannot get away from you." Artoria Alter hisses, swinging her Excalibur towards the man, "You are worse than a pest!"

"Listen to that mating call, how utterly amusing!" Gilgamesh laughs, shooting his weapons in the woman's direction. "It is truly the things that we cannot have that drive us the most mad with desire. I understand the feeling. You may feel free to weep as you die here and now, mongrel!"  
  
His aims are sending her further from the two Chaldeans, opting for further in the streets. He can see the flicker of the red coat, but Arthur is moving into position.  
  
The gates are opening in his direction, the blasts of fire coming out a moment before they catch on Excalibur. The man lunges, his blade clashing against red coat's own, cracking them from the pure heat alone.  
  
"There is little you can do to fight dragon's breath," Arthur warns the white-haired fool. "Surrender to death and I will make it swift!"

Artoria glares at the arrogant king, a weapon hitting her, but that doesn't matter too much. She stands back, beginning to charge her Noble Phantasm, "With one strike from my sword, you will return to the Throne of heroes where you belong, Gilgamesh!"  
  
The man says nothing back to Arthur, instead simply forging a new pair of blades, going in for the kill once more.  
  
Hakuno can feel her stomach twist, glancing over to Gudako as she watches Mash and David fight. "We should try to find where this large source of mana is coming from. Maybe that's the cause of the singularity."

Mash nods. "You both take the lead. I'll cover us."  
  
The words the woman says has Gilgamesh laughing. He leaps back, his body landing close to Arthur as Arthur is stumbling back from the man he's fighting.  
  
"Dragon, I think they need a full noble phantasm coming forth at them. What do you think? Shall we show them the Dragon Elish?"

"Right. Let's go, Gudako." Maybe they can end this before Gilgamesh, Arthur, or David get hurt.  
  
Arthur nods, "Let's do this Gil. We can end this before these fools know what even happened."

The gates open, blocking their enemies long enough that Gilgamesh can pull Ea from the gates. Its hilt is held back, offered forth for Arthur's Excalibur.  
  
As far as their enemies see, the two's blades slam together, the two's eyes swapping color a moment before the winds and mana around them are surging. The portals pour open all around them, fire and plasma pouring forth as their merged blades serve as a bow. The two draw their hand over hand grip on the hilt back, forming what looks to be a great fiery dragon between them.  
  
 **"You should never have touched what was ours,"** their combined voices roar, a second before the great dragon between them lunges forth. The fires rise, blinding the world around them for a moment.  
  
"Cover your eyes!" Mash yells, her eyes closing as she covers the two's gazes. She barely made it for herself. The servant power behind them poured out, almost knocking her from her feet.  
  
The power they had was atrocious!

  
Hakuno can feel the world shake around them, as she holds onto Gudako's arm tightly, her eyes screwed shut. Gods, the amount of mana in the area is enough to make her feel dizzy.  
  
These two are something else. Just what were they like when they were alive? She can't help but wonder...  
  
She isn't sure how long Mash covers their eyes for, but eventually, she lowers her hand.  
  
"Master, Hakuno, I think it's safe now," Mash mutters, as Hakuno slowly opens her eyes to see only Gilgamesh and Arthur standing there, Gilgamesh laughing loudly and speaking to Arthur in that strange language of his.  
  
"Gil! Arthur!" She runs forward to the pair, stumbling a bit at the sudden drop of mana in her body. "A-Are you both okay?!

"You don't need a coffee right now," Arthur replies, laughing a little as he unscrews his sword from Gil's own. His eyes stray to Hakuno, watching her run over the remains of what had been the alter servant.  
  
"Well! Came to enjoy the aftermath of our strength?" Gilgamesh grins at her. "You missed the whole fight, woman. We barely broke a sweat with them. Where's the source of the problem here?"  
  
He's ready for more. Now that they're back up and in the midst of the fighting, he wants to do more. They have the dream team together. There's no reason to hold back.

"Thank goodness." She tells them both she's so happy. "You both are so strong. me and Gudako think we've found where the problem is coming from. We're going to follow the scent of the mana we've been sensing since we arrived."  
  
These two look like they're having fun. At least someone is having fun. She's lucky to have them both here with them.  
  
"Well, damn." David whistles, that sleepy smile present on his face, "You both are demons. Remind me to never get on your bad sides. I think a fate worse than going back to the Throne of Heroes would await me if I ever did such a thing."

"We hold our own," Arthur relents.  
  
It'd been stronger than the last time they'd done that move. Gilgamesh was grinning, motioning for Hakuno to lead the way and holding his Ea in the same manner he normally would do with Excalibur. The man's smile fell after a moment, as it normally did when he felt the euphoria of using that much power wane.  
  
"You fool! We still have work to do! Cease the malarkey and tend to your master!"  
  
Malarkey.  
  
Arthur moved a hand to his lips, carefully moving around behind the man to keep from showing his small smile at Gil's old time-y words.

“ _We've confirmed that Saber and Archer have both disappeared._ Romani tells the group, truthfully both he and Da Vinci are quite shocked at the power of these two Servants. Thank gods they can't physically see them right now. The men would've gave him shit about dropping this coffee cup and shattering it onto the floor, _"Good work. I'm proud of you all. There should be a crystal where Saber fell. Mash, can you pick it up please?"_  
  
Mash nods her head, easily finding the small crystal that Romani was going on about, she goes to pick it up, before stopping.  
  
"MASTER, HAKUNO GET BACK!" Mash screeches as a figure appears, wearing an all-green suit, causing Hakuno's eyes to widen.  
  
"Lev?!" Both Gudako and Hakuno exclaim in agreement.

Gilgamesh and Arthur move, their bodies covering Hakuno, blocking her from being able to be grabbed by the man. The crystal is in the man's hand now, but there's nothing they can do about that for the moment.

"Master, you can't touch this man!" Mash exclaims, glaring at the man, "He isn't the Lev we know!"  
  
Gilgamesh can sense it. Something is not right with this man. He isn't giving off the same mana that a mage should. There is something about the way he's standing that is giving him a bad feeling. The man isn't human.  
  
Lev smiles at the group, "I forgot that demi-servants can sense such things. I am surprised the other demi-servant in the group cannot also sense danger as well."  
  
There's another demi-servant here? Hakuno frowns at that. He must be mistaken. She and Gudako are Masters and Gil, Arthur, and David are regular Servants.  
  
"Well, no matter, I was sent here to destroy Chaldea. I know that Romani is listening so I will give him some advice before I kill you all: Chaldea is finished. You humans have reached the moment of your demise. There is no future past 2019."

"If that paltry attempt to blow up the facility from before was your idea of destruction, then we'll simply sit back. You failed at destroying the base and I have no doubt you'll fail at killing us as well." Gilgamesh snorts at him, opening his gates more.

"Reality is at its end. Just ask that doctor. The man himself cannot see past the current year we are in. Unable to see the future, Romani has declared it had "disappeared" but that was only a pipe dream." The man smirks more. The future didn't disappear, rather, it was reduced to ashes the moment the bombs went off. Chaldeas magic may be protecting you all for now, but the reason you can't get into contact with the outside world is because there _is_ no outside world to get in contact with! Every other place in the world looks like Fuyuki city right now."  
  
Lev shrugs, "Human history has rejected humanity. There is nothing Heroic Spirits from the Age of Gods can do to change that fact."

"Then we'll begin by erasing the one responsible." Arthur moves closer to Gilgamesh, agreeing with him on simply killing this guy. He's had enough of this talk. The future wasn't written in stone and the only one who saw pieces at this point was Merlin, but that man had lived and died. He was gone.  
  
"What do you think, Master?" Gilgamesh glances back to Hakuno, waiting for her orders.

"Kill hi-" She doesn't get to finish her order before the man begins to disappear, laughing loudly.  
  
"You foolish humans! I did not cause this! This was your own undoing, you fell from the grace of God, and our king. King Solomon has decided humanity is not worth saving. Send your complaints to him, but ah, you may not get the chance to if you do not leave this place soon."

"Hakuno," Arthur pulls her against him, wrapping the fabric around his waist around her in case the fires worsened. Gilgamesh glances in the direction the man was fading in, letting the swords fall where they may in his place.  
  
"Pathetic. He couldn't even remain for death." The man was little better than a social trend. And babbling about King Solomon, he wasn't sure what to make of that. They hadn't seen that man since he'd been a servant to Hakuno before.  
  
"We need to find the source of the problem here and leave," Gudako tells them. "Da Vinci? Are you still there? What do we need to do?"

King Solomon... She’s only heard that name in her dreams before... Hakuno shakes her head, glancing to Gudako as she hears Da Vinci's voice over the line.  
  
 _"Saber was the abnormality. Whatever Lev did to her, she was the cause of the singularity. He corrupted her Spirit Origin. I have no doubt that was the case. The Singularity is becoming unstable, so we need to hurry and find the Grail, and get you all out of there. Gilgamesh, Arthur, David. Are you all sensing the Grail anywhere nearby? We cannot let it be lost. King Solomon can send one of his people to retrieve it if we just leave it in Fuyuki."_

"The grail?" _  
  
_The poor mages. Arthur looks around, noting a feeling just to the-  
  
"It's east," David tells them. "I'm sure you sense it too, Mash. We need to go in the direction of that burning building. I think the grail is over there." The three begin running as Gilgamesh and Arthur exchange looks. _  
  
They think it's a cup,_ Gil thinks. _  
  
I noticed that too._

"We have no time to spare. Let's make sure to cover their backs while we go after them," Hakuno insists, hurrying after the group. Her rushing off in the red Sumerian fabric as them hurrying alongside, keeping their gazes to the area.

* * *

"All of this for a damn cup." Gudako complains, holding up the Grail. "And we can't even wish on it. How fucked up is that?!" She grins back at Hakuno, as they make their way to the burning building, "What would you wish for, if you ever got the grail, Hakuno? I know I would wish for money." The younger Master teases.  
  
Hakuno thinks about that question, before looking over at Gilgamesh and Arthur. "I don't know. I would just give it to you, Gudako. I already have everything I could ever want."

"It's a cup?"  
  
Gilgamesh moves forward, plucking the thing from the woman's hands. This wasn't right, the thing was a mass of human flesh and mana, housing ultimate energies that would both horrify and bewilder the spectators of the grail wars. The sludge itself would pour forth from the heavens, worsening bond effects like the one between himself and Arthur.  
  
"How is it a cup?" Arthur asks, moving to his side and tapping at the cup's golden sides. "This must be a fake."  
  
"Nope. That's the Grail," David nods their way. "Let's get back, master. I don't want to be here any longer than necessary."

Gudako nods, "Da Vinci, can you get us out of here? We got the Grail."  
  
 _"Pulling you and Hakuno out right now."_ Da Vinci tells them _,_ _"Close your eyes, and when you awaken you'll be back here in Chaldea. You both deserve rest."_


	7. Aftermath

Gudako pulls the grail into her hands a moment before the two women are gone. One second, they're standing in the middle of the burning city, the next- the three of them are alone.  
  
Gilgamesh goes to speak, but the world around them all but melts. The steel walls are returning around them. The sound of fans are going off around them cooling down the room a second before Romani is opening the doors.  
  
"GUDAKO! HAKUNO! ARE YOU BOTH ALRIGHT?!"

"We're okay." Gudako tells the man a moment before her head begins to hurt, "I'm thirsty. I think I'm going to go sit down."

She glances over at her Servant, "Come on Davie, maybe you can show me those harp skills you were going on about, and make my headache go away. Use his harp like some ancient binaural beats, like those that I listen to on MeTube." she jokes leaving the room, but not before handing Romani the cup, "Here's your cup. Make sure to put a lot of soda in there."  
  
Hakuno smiles before hugging Romani, "I'm alright. I'm glad you look better than before we left. I was so worried about you."

"I look better. I feel like we swapped moods. You look like you've taken a beating out there." The soot and smoke has left her skin darkened in places. The smell of sweat is permeating his senses a little as he holds the girl close.  
  
He almost goes to ask the servants to help, but no. He won't dare do that.  
  
The two look far too willing to come help their master.  
  
"Da Vinci!" Romani yells into the other room. At her shouting back, Romani looks to Hakuno. "I'm going to have Da Vinci take you to get cleaned up. We'll get you in a proper set of clothes and set you up in your room. Thankfully it's down by Gudako's so we didn't lose it, but you might be sharing it if we find any more facility workers that are alive and well."

  
Hakuno nods, some clean clothes and a shower sounds so nice right now. "Mm. It was a little bad out there, but I'll do that." She turns to both of her Servants, giving them each a hug before smiling up at them, "I'll be back soon. You can meet me in my room if you both want to." she offers, before running off to meet Da Vinci.

"I'll get you both a change of clothes and set you up in a room," Romani tells them. "It would be best to have you both in a room near but not the same. Since we're working on keeping facility workers together-"  
  
"Don't bother," Gilgamesh moves forward, yawning slightly. His golden armor shimmers off, leaving the blue fabrics of his underpadding. "Come on, Princess. Let's find the baths. A shower would do us good after doing all the work in this place."  
  
His eyes fall to Romani.  
  
 _"Make no mistake, Doctor Hebrew. Others may not notice, but you don't fool me."_  
  
The man is hiding things. The man before had mentioned him and had mentioned Solomon... a Hebrew king if he was not mistaken. Something wasn't right around here, something other than their wife's circuits running through the veins of a descendant.  
  
"We'll remain near our master," Gilgamesh declares. "Should anything happen, the first person we should see is her."  
  
Arthur gives his agreement, thanking Romani as they leave the room.

Romani runs a hand through his hair. These two... Are far too dangerous for Hakuno. Still, they proved to be useful, they took out two Servants at once with their Noble Phantasm alone.  
  
But Hakuno is too young, too naive about the ways of the world for them. They could have any woman they want, so why choose Hakuno of all people? It didn't make sense. He hopes that Da Vinci is having some type of girl talk with her. He can't play the role of both mother and father. Da Vinci will have to step up.  
  
Hakuno laughs a bit as Da Vinci offers to wipe at her face, "I'm not a baby anymore. I can clean myself, Da Vinci. Thank you for bringing me clothes. I'm a little tired." She admits.

"You're still the baby. Don't let yourself think otherwise, little girl."  
  
  
Da Vinci laughs, shaking her head at Hakuno.  
  
"Do me a favor and go clean up. And stay close to Gudako! I want to debrief you both," Da Vinci tells her. "I'm planning to have the three servants stay in a room together next door. They'll be near, but you and Gudako need to be able to destress and I don't really trust having the two of you stuck around them all the time. I don't have much intel on them yet and what little I have on your two servants doesn't make sense. For one thing, your servants categorize as ruler class."  
  
"So?"  
  
"King Gilgamesh is an archer and King Arthur is a saber according to the records I have. Not only that, past war intel says the two are cutthroat with one another. They'll interrupt their own plans to mindlessly try to slaughter one another. There's nothing and no one that has ever seen them get along, not even for the neutral party in wars."

"They're really kind to me though, Da Vinci." Hakuno points out, "They fixed my hair for me. They cuddle me when I sleep. I don't understand why they're being so nice, but they protected Romani and myself too! Gudako as well. I think they're good people."  
  
Still, what Da Vinci has told her is troubling, the men she's describing, and the men before her aren't the same.

"I know. They seem to want to take good care of you." Da Vinci smiles. "However, they're still servants and you need a nice break from supplying all their mana. We'll make sure to send some mana prisms their way and you can go relax. I'm sure they won't mind guarding the stash with David tonight."

She doesn't like the thought of being away from them, but she's so tired. She'll probably crash against Gudako after Da Vinci debriefs them.  
  
"Da Vinci, don't tell Romani, but when I was out in Fuyuki I had this weird vision or something. It was me meeting Arthur for the first time, but we were in some home. I know I haven't met him before today." She shakes her head, "My nose was bleeding when I snapped out of it."

"You what?" The woman frowns, crossing her arms a little.  
  
Hallucinations were a weird side effect from the rayshift. The physical nosebleed isn't uncommon, but combined with a psychological effect-  
  
"Let me take a look at the machine you used. I'm sure it might have been from the tech you were using. Usually, we don't allow kids to jump into the machines either. You are still a baby around here." Shr shrugs. "I imagine you bonked your head and were staring at your knight in shining armor a little too long. Don't think about it too much.

"I'm not a kid." Hakuno whines, but she's still smiling at the woman, "I'll be an adult soon, and then Marisbur-"  
  
She sighs at that.  
  
"I couldn't even cry for that man. I'm horrible, aren't I?" She whispers, "He killed my family, and I forgave him." she feels herself getting a little teary-eyed, "I have dreams of him doing that every night almost. I-I just wanted him to love and accept me as his daughter, but I think he hated me. He looked ready to kill me when I showed him my Command Spells earlier."

"Ah... Let's, um, let's not worry about that." She pats at the girl, trying to think quickly. "You should be going after Gudako and Mash. I don't want you falling asleep in the baths. Off you go!"  
  
She puts the cheeriest tone she can manage on it, watching as the baby mage leaves, trying not to think about that girl's words. Yeah, the man hadn't cared, but damn.  
  
"Oh!" She pauses. "You two have perfect timing! Come with me. I have to register you both since someone ROMANI," she shouts at the fool, knowing he's busy looking at the machines in the rayshift room, "DECIDED NOT TO CLUE ME IN ON OUR LATEST SERVANTS!"

Arthur smiles at the woman, "Oh, you must be Da Vinci. It is nice to meet you thank you for taking care of our wif- Master." He quickly corrects himself.

"Arthur Pendragon... Correct?" She glances at the attire he has before her eyes fall on the symbols. "Oh, no, this is ancient writing. You must be King Gilgamesh, sorry. The details about you both are limited."  
  
Smiling, she shakes bows her head a bit.  
  
"Just so that you know, we don't really do harems here and the wine supplies are currently down to one bottle used for cooking. The wine cellar was destroyed in the bombings... As for you, King Arthur," Da Vinci looked to the red-eyed man. "I have record of other knights, but if they are summoned, I will ask that you refrain from attacking and trying to kill King Gilgamesh. It goes without saying, but there's a zero-tolerance policy for fighting within the walls of Chaldea against other allies."

Arthur laughs a bit, smiling over at Gilgamesh.  
  
 _Gil, she has us confused. Should we tell her?  
_  
 _I will not be mistaken for you, Husband. I will break the news to her gently._  
  
"Woman, I am king Gilgamesh." Gilgamesh tells Da Vinci proudly, "My husband and I were summoned together since he cannot stand to be apart from me. Hence, the Sumerian on his armor you see there."

Da Vinci stares at him.  
  
 _I don't think she's taking the news gently,_ Arthur offers, watching the woman looking between them.  
  
 _I don't know how she can't. I didn't insult her, although truly, it should have been obvious that I am not you. Our appearances and demeanor are opposite to one another. As though I would spend time with your unruly bunch of knights.  
  
I have seen Enkidu._  
  
"Y-You're Gilgamesh? You're in Camelot colors though." Da Vinci's attention looks to Arthur. "And you're wearing Cuneiform and sporting red and silver. That seems more in line with the information we have about Uruk and Gilgamesh."  
  
"My husband and I ended up having our armor take after attributes of one another due to our descendants' myths and legends about us. We adhered to one another's cultures," Arthur explains. "Our wife had our tattoos match and had her name placed upon us as well."  
  
"Ah. So you're both married to Lady Guinevere?"

"We're married to Hakunos ancestor of the same name." Gilgamesh scoffs at her question.

 _Guinevere._ He throws up in his mouth a little at the thought. As though that woman would ever be worthy of his and Arthur’s love. Though, the woman looks even more confused at his words.  
  
 _Husband, take over. I have little patience to deal with mongrels tonight, not when I can feel how sad our Master is._ The sadness is overwhelming his senses, making it hard to breathe. He doesn't know how Arthur is still managing to laugh and smile.

"You're married to Hakuno's ancestor? You were in two different eras. This might be a botched summoning. There's a good chance that the two of you are simply mismatched in minds and suffering from memories patched together from a very nervous baby mage."  
  
Arthur lets his armor vanish, pulling at his shirt to show the tattoo work beneath. Hakuno's name in bright red is written along one of the lines, followed after on the other side of that scrollwork by Gil's own.  
  
"As odd as it sounds, and I am aware it sounds odd, I'm married to King Gilgamesh. We were both born in the timeframe long ago. Back when there were android phones and MeTubers and-"  
  
"You're literally describing the relative timeframe." Da Vinci argues, crossing her arms. "You've seen what the world is like. That Fuyuki was a timeframe not that long ago..."  
  
This isn't working. Arthur sighs, holding his shirt and looking to Gilgamesh, who's already halfway out the door.  
  
"We can talk later," Arthur offers. "I need to be around my master and my husband right now." He begins to follow before turning and giving her a low bow. "Thank you for your kindness to Hakuno. Please continue to show her kindness. I think she could use the positive support and encouragement that you gave us when we were in that singularity thing."  
  
He needs to hurry.  
  
 _Gil, wait for me._

 _I know you feel that_ Gilgamesh tells the man stalking towards where he can sense Hakuno's mana. W _hat have they've done to our wife, Arthur? She barely has a will to live. If were not summoned when we were I do not want to think about what else they were to put her through. We need to teach her how to enjoy living. We are back at square one with our wife._  
  
These mages are truly worthless. From what he's seen, only Da Vinci and Romani have ever shown Hakuno kindness. That is unacceptable. If it were up to him, he'd burn the place down for a second time.

 _She seems upset, but I don't know. It could just be from fighting. She didn't like the last war we were in together._ Moving to catch up, Arthur frowns, making the man slow down.  
  
"Gil," Arthur murmurs. "She did walk out of the room on her own. If I were her and my home had been damaged, I would probably go to my room. Let's find that room and look around from there."  
  
The place feels somehow worse than before, but it could have to do with the poor lighting in the hallways. It could have to do with what looked to be dark cobwebs hanging in corners.

“I hate this place." Gilgamesh complains, moving forward, "Hakuno doesn't deserve this, and you know it too." The man is starting to annoy him. He's being compliant to these fools. "We need to find Hakuno, and show her love. She has most likely never experienced such a thing."  
  
He half wishes Kiritsugu was a Servant, so he could be summoned here, and show Hakuno the parental love she needs.

The stop at an intersection in the hallway, one that looks like part of the space has been sealed off due to the bombings.  
  
"I think this floor is ending here," Arthur tells him, noting the sign. "Come on. I saw some stairs a little ways back. I don't like this either. We'll pull Hakuno to her room after a good shower and let her rest. In the morning, we can all have something to eat and we can maybe work on trying to explain things. You said you had gone into that Lev guy's lab before, right?"  
  
It might have been his office. He remembered the name being mentioned before they'd seen him.

"I did." Gilgamesh nods his head, following Arthur down the hallways of this infernal prison.

"I found out exactly what was done to our wife if you would like to hear. It is gruesome, I will warn." Maybe the man will get angry enough to finish destroying this place. Perhaps humanity could burn if the humans in this time were so willing to let an innocent girl be subjected to such things.

"Why do you sound almost too eager to tell me?"  
  
He shakes his head. It's Gil. The man would be eager to see him burn down a place.  
  
"You can explain it to me gently. I don't want to hear things put in the terminology that they might have used. Remember it is our Hakuno that had this happen to her. If someone were to overhear you mention it, I'd rather they hear a less blunt statement."

Gilgamesh snorts, of course, he would say such things. Fine, he'll humor the man.  
  
"They dug up our wife's body." Gilgamesh tells Arthur in a low voice, "They forcefully put her magic circuits into this Hakuno, attempting to forcefully make her a demi-servant like Mash. That's not all, that would be father of Hakunos let the blondie that we saw earlier this morning beat on her regularly to test her magecraft abilities. He beat her so badly this past summer apparently, and she lost her memories. Soon after, she had her last surgery." He explains, feeling anger rising in him, "The doctor did not know about this. At least not completely."

They what?  
  
The world seemed to freeze around him as he found himself stilled. The familiar heat, bubbling forth from the depths of him, is burning away at his insides, tempting him into grabbing something. The sadness he senses in their master is not helping.  
  
To think they would go to this length. Desecrating his wife's tomb, carving into her sweet form, harvesting and torturing the woman's only descendant- No. Da Vinci had said that the time they had lived in was now. So it was worse than that. They had carved into the Hakuno of their time, stealing her circuits to here, to this Hakuno who had been denied being raised by Kiritsugu. They'd stolen away her chance at happiness and sent her into this world of steel and pain.  
  
"You seem quiet."  
  
"Y-You said the doctor didn't know?"  
  
"I don't believe he did, judging by his urge to coddle our master and Gudako earlier and from what notes I've read," Gilgamesh replies, those red eyes scanning his expression. "Why?"  
  
Why? As if such a thing were a question.  
  
Those responsible needed slaughtered, the blond who beat their wife included. She was definitely their wife at this point as well. She acted the same way. She smiled the same way. Hell, her commands and holding them had been in the same mannerisms as their own woman.  
  
"I need to find Hakuno," Arthur tells the other, pushing the doors to the stairwell open and moving to hurry down to the floor below. Wherever she is, they're going to remain with her. This torture time for Hakuno was over.


	8. Arthamesh

Hakuno pauses at hearing a step of footsteps coming down the staircase. The only person who ever came down to see her or Gudako was Romani, but he's working. At least, he was. Who knows now.  
  
"Romani?" Hakuno calls, only to see two blonds in view, "Arthur! Gil!" She says their names excitedly, "I thought you two were supposed to be with David. Da Vinci might get after you both."

Gudako looks over, laughing a little from behind Hakuno. "This is the bathing area, guys. You really shouldn't be following after us. Our bedrooms are on the floor above though. Just go ask Da Vinci where you're both staying."  
  
She can already feel another yawn escape her. Patting Hakuno's shoulder, she nods to Mash nearby.  
  
"Don't let them take up all your time, baby mage. I'm going to be using up a shit ton of hot water and who knows how well the pipes work at this point."

"I'm not a baby!" Hakuno groans at the woman as she leaves, "I'm tired of everyone treating me like a baby." she whispers to the two men. "Y-You guys can wait for me upstairs. I'm just going to bathe quickly, and go to bed."

"She is the baby," Gudako calls. "The baby mage! Our tiny kitten!" Mash pushes her forward, throwing an apology their way a second before Arthur sighs, nodding to Hakuno's directions.  
  
"We'll wait just outside... or is there a male bathing chamber nearby? We'll clean up and meet you just outside the door here."

"I'M OLDER THAN YOU!" Hakuno yells back, before turning her attention back to Arthur, "If I were in Japan, she'd be calling me Senpai right now." she complains, before her face turns red at registering his question.

"Oh, um, yeah the male bathing area is across the hall there. We can clean up and then we can go to my room. My bed is much comfier than Romanis futon."

"We'll be right over there," Arthur promises. "We'll be a few minutes so take your time and enjoy your bath."  
  
"And use this," Gilgamesh hands her a bag. "They are labeled, I imagine that you can follow the numbering."  
  
"What's in this?" Hakuno asks.  
  
"Important things. They'll help." Gilgamesh's hand is pulling at Arthur before he can correct Gil's explanation. He gives a weak smile.  
  
"You did good, Hakuno!" She waves awkwardly a second before the door shuts.

Hakuno looks inside the bag, seeing various soaps in the bag before shrugging, she'll try using these. She'll tease Gudako too for calling her a baby in front of them. Maybe she'll threaten to tell Romani that Gudako thinks he's cute when his hair is down. Equivalent exchange.  
  
Arthur sighs as he looks around the bathroom, noticing the Japanese style baths. "This place gets more strange the more I explore it." he tells Gilgamesh laughing awkwardly, "I think Gudako embarrassed Hakuno." He wraps his arms around Gilgamesh before sighing. He needs a hug right now. This place is sickening. The only thing keeping him sane is Gilgamesh and Hakuno, otherwise, he would've used Excalibur to eliminate this place out of existence as soon as he was summoned.

The urge that runs through him leaves him to sigh. His body leans into the man behind him, eyes closing as he takes a moment to breathe.  
  
The others hadn't been off in thinking that the two of them didn't get along. A long while back, the two of them would have been at one another's throats. Had things not gone in the direction that they had gone and their enemies from before not combined forces in the manner that they had...  
  
"You're making me sentimental, you fool," Gilgamesh murmurs, his hands holding onto the man's arms.

Laughing, Arthur pulls the man closer to him humming before kissing his cheek. At least he can take comfort in one thing: Gilgamesh will never change. No matter what time period they're summoned into, his lover is still the same. Arrogant, smart, loyal, and adorable.  
  
"Sentimental? You? I would never have guessed." Arthur teases, "Let's get you cleaned up, Gil. We've had a long day today."

Long day.  
  
What they'd had before were long days. Today had been a mess. Half-baked plans, barely forming at all before something happened; new and old faces, of whom were all over the place in intents and purposes; a future that was once more on the rocks... Then there was everyone's impression of them.  
  
"Did you hear those fools today? 'You and Arthur don't get along,'" Gilgamesh laughs a little, pulling away from the fool and heading to the showering area first. "They think to make assumptions based on their toys' findings. As though you would dare to fight against me when my side suits you far better."

Arthur snorts, dematerializing out of his clothes and following after Gilgamesh. He needs a warm shower after the day they've had in this nightmare of a place.  
  
"I was thinking about that as well. I am thinking that perhaps a different version of you and me are what the humans in this world remember, considering that dragon of a woman was there in Fuyuki earlier."  
  
He isn't sure how to feel about that. If another version of Gilgamesh was ever summoned here, the man could attempt to kill him. Not that he would ever get that far of course, but the thought is still worrying.

 _"Clever deduction, Watson."_ Gilgamesh doesn't bother to climb into the shower yet, turning on the water for the shower and waiting for it to heat up first. "You're right though, that fool was there, wasn't she? I had hardly noticed."  
  
The small smirk came and went.  
  
"If there is another me around, I doubt that he will be much trouble. You're sensible enough and you no longer blindly follow whatever practice is portrayed as 'for the best'. Actually," Gilgamesh throws him a grin. "I do believe I've been a good influence on you, King of Camelot. Now if we could switch your armor to a golden color."

Arthur chuckles, right. He hadn't noticed. That's why he went charging forth like a madman into danger to fight her.

He can see why these idiots here think they don't get along. He can't help but smile a bit as he wraps his arms around Gilgamesh from behind.  
  
"I've been a good influence on you too, King of Uruk. Had this been during our lifetime, you would've run away with Hakuno, and got sick off lattes until she would have to nurse you back to health." He presses his lips to the man's neck.  
  
"It is not you or me I'm worried about if another version of us comes along, it is our wife. We are naturally drawn to Hakuno, like a moth to a flame. I suspect any version of ourselves would be the same way."

"I wouldn't have gotten sick off lattes. You and Hakuno complain too much about my pumpkin spice and toasted hazelnut drinks."  
  
A few sick days after just so happening to have a coffee drink did not mean that he had sickened himself off the things. Enkidu had done little to help with their pastry eat offs and chugging challenges. For all they had known before, it could have easily have been second-hand disgust at whatever void the being had for a stomach.  
  
Gilgamesh shakes his head, dispelling the thought. "As for being drawn to Hakuno, we'll simply throw any foolish fakers of us out of the wars. That is our duty as Ruler, isn't it? Passing judgment and slaughtering those whom we deem are unfit for war?"  
  
Truthfully, he never really listened deeply. That was more for a fool to do.  
  
His hands moved to Arthur's hair as the man presses those lips to him. It's far more commendable with him acting in this manner. His mouth was far more suited for paying homage to him, his arms more suited for presenting themselves around him for him to admire.  
  
 _You make me like dragons more than lions, Arammu,_ Gilgamesh thinks his way, closing his eyes in some foolish attempt to gather his thoughts back together on the goal of a bath.

Arthur grins at that thought Gilgamesh sends his way, before turning the man around and kissing him deeply. He missed being able to hold the man in his arms like this.  
  
As for their duties as Rulers...  
  
"We're supposed to be impartial, Gilgamesh." He tells Gilgamesh, knowing damn well with Hakuno around they'll be anything but impartial. "We will judge the situation further, and see what type of Grail War we've been summoned into, defeat Solomon and take our woman away with us. It will be simple."  
  
At least he hopes it will be. He has a bad feeling things aren't going to be so easy for them. Solomon being out and about is concerning, considering the man also took a liking to Hakuno. He threatened to take the woman away from them, and marry her alongside Gudako and place them both in his harem in the grail war they fought in together.

Arthur glances to Gilgamesh at the memory, opting to lure him under the spray of the shower. He'd said they'd judge the situation later. They'll do just that. For now, they need to take pride in the fact that they had resolved the issues from today and managed to bring a safe ending to the day. Not only that, but Hakuno was back with them and was safe and sound.  
  
"The water is still cold," Gil complains.  
  
"It is fine," Arthur replies.  
  
"I'm turning it up."  
  
Of course, he was. Arthur sighs, stopping his hand short of the knob and allowing only the slightest increase in temperature. He had no desire to burn a layer of skin just to clean up.

* * *

Turning off her hairdryer, Hakuno looks over at Gudako who is finishing getting ready for the night, she smiles over at her friend, before stuffing the bottles of product Gilgamesh gave her back into the small sack he shoved at her.  
  
If nothing else, her skin is glowing, and she feels clean. She notes looking at herself in the mirror.  
  
"Da Vinci said we have to be debriefed before we can go to bed, Gudako." She reminds the woman since she was talking about curling up with David and making him play his harp for her to help her sleep

Gudako pauses, glancing at Hakuno and her bag of goodies. She was glad she had shared the wealth in that bag. She'd never had her person feel so damn clean like this before. Her hands were still fumbling with her hair too, distracted by how soft it feels running between her fingers.  
  
"Sure, sure. We can be debriefed, I guess. I don't think there'll be much debriefing needed though. Good job blowing up the servants, Hakuno. Good job grabbing that grail, Gudako. Don't let the servant summonings go to your head."  
  
She waves a hand a moment before looking to Mash nearby.  
  
"Yo, Mash! Feel this! I swear, I might actually grow my hair out if it feels this nice all the time. Hakuno's babysitters' stuff is so damn nice!"

"They're not my babysitters'" Hakuno tries to tell her, but Mash is already feeling away and gasping.  
  
"Your hair feels so nice! King Gilgamesh truly had the best stuff. He's such a kind king. Nothing like the stories I've read."  
  
Mash smiles at them both. "Let's go, Master, Hakuno. We don't want to keep the doctor and Da Vinci waiting."

Gudako nods, looking over at Hakuno. "We'll meet you there in a minute, Mash."  
  
She moves over to Hakuno again, helping her brush out her hair a little.  
  
"It's really cool that you summoned two servants in one go, Hakuno. You know I'm just teasing, right? I just don't want you to think of them as too handsome. Easier to think of them as parents or babysitters than as just an attractive set of people you'll be around."  
  
She pats her head.  
  
"I'm doing the same with David. He's old. He is now dad, which means I better get some good birthday gifts this year. Maybe a nice sword or weapon to protect myself in case a monster or enemy gets too close…"

Hakuno laughs a little, looking at herself and Gudako in the mirror.  
  
"I know you're just teasing. I just...those two make me feel strange." Hakuno admits, "My heart beats so fast when I'm next to them. They're so nice to me too. They're really warm at night as well. I don't know. It's weird."

"Just be careful, alright?" Gudako yawns slightly. "They're still just servants at the end of the day. You have to remember that they're kind of just here for the job. We protect humanity. We enjoy hanging around and repairing Chaldea. We eventually will go our separate ways. I don't want you getting hurt so if it gets to be too strange for you, think of them like brothers or babysitters or something."  
  
Another yawn escapes her, making Gudako shake her head.  
  
"I swear, I'm falling asleep while upright. Let's hurry this up so we can all go to bed."

Maybe if things become too much, she'll draw the line, but the thought of them leaving her is already making her feel even more upset than she already is.  
  
She's in too deep, isn't she?  
  
Hakuno takes Gudako by the hand, leading her out of the bathroom. "Yeah, I'm pretty tired too. Let's go get our lecture over with so that we can go to bed. Otherwise, I think we might fall asleep right here."

"Agreed," Gudako replies.  
  
She still looks exhausted by the time they reach the stairs. Going back up to the control room, Hakuno finds the numbers have dwindled. There's maybe a few dozen people? If that.  
  
Da Vinci is comforting a few people upfront before seeing them. She whistles, getting Romani's attention.  
  
"Great." Gudako sighs. "Come on. Let's wait in Romani's office next door."

The doctor raises his head from tinkering with the pods, just as Hakuno and Gudako sneak into his office.  
  
Hakuno yawns. If Romani and Da Vinci don't hurry up, she'll just fall asleep right here. She can joke with Romani that it's just like when was small again when she would fall asleep in Marisburys office in the Clock Tower while him and her would be father talked about all their plans together.  
  
"Maybe I'll tell Romani you think he's cute when his hair is down." Hakuno teases her friend.

"Do it and I'll bring your little blond knight plush back to your room." Gudako leans back, smiling a little. "I wonder what your servants will think of King Arthamesh. Mash and I plucked him when grabbing clothes from our rooms before our shower. Figured it might be awkward to explain him away."  
  
The cock-eyed plush would no doubt be an excellent source of entertainment for her shining armored servants if Hakuno spilled the beans about her crush on Romani.  
  
Romani was cute. No one could blame her really.

"You wouldn't dare." Hakuno replies her eyes widen, "It's bad enough they're going to tease me about the books I have about them." she whines. Even though her collection wasn't entirely her fault. Marisbury kept gifting her books about King Arthur and Gilgamesh when she was a child. Her older books are falling apart from how much she's read them.  
  
It's not her fault she summoned two handsome kings. She'll just have to think of a way to explain the books away.

"I'm glad we are in agreement then. I keep quiet about your little man and you keep quiet about my preference for long-haired, unnaturally gorgeous doctors."  
  
Gudako pauses, finding Mash entering with Romani.  
  
"First of all," Romani tells them. "Thank you both for your efforts. Da Vinci and I have saved who we can while you both saved our hides. If not for you both and your servants, we would have been doomed."  
  
He looks at them both.  
  
"That being said, I need you both in the medical bay tomorrow. I need to check mana levels. Hakuno especially, your body's mana levels dipped twice. Once after arriving and again after your noble phantasm was done by Ruler. For now, I have to warn you against going full strength. The strain could end up being too much without enough training."

Gudako hums, she doesn't mind that she can stare at the man while he gets on Hakuno about her mana levels. At least it's not her head on the chopping block. Sorry, Hakuno.  
  
Her mana levels are low? Hakuno thinks to herself, That would explain why she feels so tired. "Okay, I'll talk to Arthur and Gilgamesh and tell them they can't use their Noble Phantasm for a while." They might complain, but they'll understand if she tells them that it's for her own safety.  
  
"Then, I'd like to start training as soon as I can, Romani. I want to be able to help Gudako and you all as much as possible."

"I'm not sure how fast we can train you, Hakuno. Gudako will have to go easy as well, but the fluctuations noted on record have me worried. We can't have you collapsing. Already we had noted your summoned servant pair is stronger than anticipated. We need to be practical and we need to be careful."  
  
Hakuno can feel her eyes starting to burn a moment before the man sighs.  
  
"You don't have anyone you can surrender them. Even Gudako we need to be careful about." Romani throws her an apologetic look before continuing. "So we'll take this slow. Singularities are still a possibility so we're going to train, work on storing and balancing out mana levels and we're going to be careful."

Gudako yawns loudly standing up. "Then if we're just getting check-ups in the morning, then can I dip? Hakuno was crying in the bathroom about something or another, she wouldn't tell me. So I'm tattling and telling you, Romani."  
  
"GUDAKO!" Hakuno whines, she promised she wouldn't say anything.  
  
Gudako shrugs, something is wrong with her friend. Romani is pretty good about making Hakuno feel better again when something is bothering her or is Kirschtaria is being mean to her.

You were crying?" Romani frowns. "Was it stress? Headache related?" He moves to get a thermometer, sticking it in her mouth before looking to Gudako.  
  
"Sit. I'm taking a workup before you both go rest. Mash?" Romani looks to the demi-servant. "Why don't you go rest?"

Mash nods her head, "I'll go make the bed, and wait for you Master." Mash tells Gudako who sighs as she sits back down.  
  
"It's nothing," Hakuno replies quietly, she doesn't feel like getting into this, not while Gudako is sitting right there. She still doesn't know that Marisbury adopted her. "I feel fine, just a little tired.

It will take a while to get used to Mash calling you master, Gudako." Romani laughs a little, finding Da Vinci coming in and seeing the blood pressure equipment and things being pulled out.  
  
He nods the woman to Gudako.  
  
"If you don't mind, Da Vinci, I want to get a full workup on these two before they go to bed and recover. I should have done it first thing, but with the situation being as it is, I had other obligations going on."  
  
"Come on, Gudako." Da Vinci motions to the door. "We'll do this in your room. You can just collapse into bed once done."  
  
It's a full minute later that Romani sighs. He's taken some notes, marking her temp and rates of whatever all he'd measured out onto his paperwork he has begun.  
  
"You know it's alright to let Gudako and the others know that you were Marisbury's daughter, right? You can cry in front of your friends and trust those around you. This is not the time for secrets." His hand brushes at her hair softly. "...We've been through a great deal of loss. It's important to pull those we have around us closer when we lose family and friends."

"I was never his daughter. He hated me." Hakuno whispers with a sigh, "You're more of a father to me than he ever was. He changed after he bought Chaldea." Hakuno tells the man refusing to shed tears for him.  
  
"Fathers don't let their proteges beat on them until all of their mana is gone." At least, she doesn't think so. "H-He killed my family, Romani, and I still forgave him. I just wanted to be accepted by him, but I don't think he had the capability to be a father." Poor Olga was never loved by the man either.

"Fathers aren't all the same."  
  
Romani moves to check her mana circuits next, sticking the testing clip onto her index finger and noting the readings he gets onto his clipboard of paperwork.  
  
"You can't simply write off the man as a bad excuse of a man and father and pretend you didn't love him. I think you did, on some level. You wouldn't be sighing and crying about it if you didn't. You wouldn't have forgiven him either."  
  
A few more notes down and he stops again, giving a soft smile. "Sometimes you love people who aren't the best. Just remember not to let yourself do anything that you can't live with at the end of the day. Alright?"

Hakuno nods, smiling a bit at the doctor. As much as she doesn't want to admit it, Romani is right.  
  
"I did care for him. I looked up to him." She shakes her head, "I'll never be like him. I won't become corrupted by magecraft and power. I'll become a better mage than he was." If she ever has children, she'll be a better parent than he ever was too.

"I know you will... but according to the readings I have, you need some more mana. We'll have to think of smart ways to build up your mana reserves when you go into battles. No training tomorrow. I'll talk to Da Vinci about the mana prisms and about ways we can increase your strength. And um... No noble phantasm for now."  
  
"Got it. I think we've already gone over that." Hakuno smiles before she leans forward and kisses his cheek. "Can I head to bed? I'm tired from saving the world with Gudako."  
  
"Sure, head to bed. Meet me first thing in the morning in the dining hall. We'll do another check-up and see about what to do with you and Gudako."

* * *

Arthur quietly opens the door to Hakuno's room, turning on the light and looking around the room. There's a moderate size bed on the far side of the room, a desk, and a bookshelf full of books. He takes note of the bookbag with papers sticking out of it. Probably homework she has yet to do.  
  
"...It's so plain in here." Arthur complains, moving to the bed and feeling the sheets before frowning.  
  
 _I can't sleep on these_ , Gil Arthur sends his way, before opening the gate and pulling out some softer silken sheets.  
  
"We can start improving her life, by teaching her how it feels to get a good night's sleep on proper sheets and pillows." Arthur hums.

Gilgamesh smiles, leaning against the doorframe as he watches the man begin to mess around with the room. The man seems to be frowning more and more as he trades threadbare for silks, feather pillows for plush and plump cushions; in a matter of seconds, the man is lost amongst his desire for creature comforts.  
  
He moves to speak, but a woman is returning to the hall. He steps out, moving to go to the woman's side.  
  
"Shield Woman," Gilgamesh greets, tightening his robe's belt a bit. "It would seem we are meeting again. Where are the other two? We found the baths empty upon our finishing our baths."  
  
"Hmm? Oh. Ruler." The woman smiles. "Hakuno and Gudako are getting checked on really quick. Romani wanted to make sure they were healthy before sending them to bed. She should be back shortly. Which reminds me-"  
  
Mash motions him in, leading towards her desk.  
  
A glance has him pausing, noting a plush on the bed.  
  
"A fan of knights?"  
  
"It's Hakuno's. I'm just keeping Arthamesh safe," the woman replies, waving a hand without so much as looking up from the paperwork she's trying to gather.  
  
Gilgamesh raises a brow, looking closer at the cloth knight. The stitches and faded markings say enough. The doll is old, tattered.  
  
 _Arammu,_ Gilgamesh calls mentally. _You'll never guess what I've found._

Arthur nods looking proudly at his work. They'll all sleep much better tonight. He turns to the bookcase, looking over the shelf before pausing. There are countless books upon books about himself and Gilgamesh. Different translations, different books both in Japanese and in English. Scholarly books...  
  
He wasn't expecting it. Gilgamesh needs to see this.  
  
 _Baby, I found something interesting too. You should see this._ He picks up a random book about himself, sitting down on the bed and beginning to read, already frowning at the mention of Guinevere as his wife.

 _Oh? Are you sure you don't want to see our woman's precious knight in shining armor? He's looking quite practiced at slumbering alongside our woman.  
_  
Gilgamesh takes a couple of steps back, slipping the knight into the gates as Mash turns around.  
  
"Here, if you don't mind, can you give Hakuno these notes? I know everything was crazy today, but I worked ahead and I don't want Hakuno to fall behind on her work."  
  
"Noble of you," Gilgamesh nods. "I suppose I could take them to her."  
  
He would consider them even since she had supplied him with the delightful acquaintance to Arthamesh.

A portal opens by his shoulder, the small plush falling out. He grins as he picks the doll up, noticing how tattered the thing is.  
  
 _Even if we're apart, our wife can't stop thinking about us. You should see the books she has about us. It seems she was intent upon learning about us and-_  
  
He stops mid-thought as he spots his brunette of a Master standing in the doorway, her face pale as she looks in between him and the doll.  
  
"This is cute, Hakuno." Arthur holds up the doll, "You've taken good care of your knight."

Hmm?  
  
Gilgamesh lifts his head up a little, listening to Arthur's thoughts turn to their master.  
  
"It seems that it's getting lady, Lady Shielder. Get some rest and take pride in your efforts today." He moves to turn, finding a hand coming to rest on his shoulder.  
  
"Ah- Ruler... Is it... Is it hard being a servant? I don't know anything about what I've become. I know that Gudako's my master and that she's my best friend, but... It's strange. I don't know even what my noble phantasm is."  
  
Gilgamesh goes to point out that he has to get back, but the girl tightens her grip, shaking a little. Those pale eyes are looking up at him, glasses askew.  
  
"I just want to do my best for everyone. You and Arthur are the only two servants I can talk to and I just would feel better if you could give me advice."

A Servant that doesn't know what their Noble Phantasm is? Then she has no idea what Servant is even sharing her body?  
  
That is... Quite strange if he's being honest. He knows which Servant they threw into her. He read it this afternoon. It's Galahad. The son of that knight, Lancelot, that always would stare a hole into Hakuno, the fool thought that she was his woman.  
  
He could tell her, but it would be best for her to figure it out herself.  
  
"I will not lie to you, Shielder. It is not easy being a Servant. You fight countless battle after battle, unable to rest. You are lucky that Gudako is a kind and loving Master. I doubt she will make you do something horrible to yourself." Gilgamesh explains, his eyes meeting the womans. "That is not always the case, however. Arthur and I have had Masters that parade themselves to be our wife, and have told us to kill ourselves when we would not give into their demands."  
  
He shakes his head at that memory.  
  
"I will give you this advice: Protect what you love with everything in you. If you love your Master, keep her close and protect her. Do what makes you happy. You are still a child. When you are not fighting battles, I encourage you to find joy in something that you find pleasure in doing. We ourselves are weapons by our very nature, but that doesn't mean you can't find what makes you yourself happy. Find that, and I'm sure the Servant that is working with you, will no doubt tell you the name of their Noble Phantasm."

Mash smiles, nodding as she releases him.  
  
"Thank you, King Gilgamesh. That means a lot, coming from a great king who was capable of ruling over a kingdom at the beginning of time. I'm sure the world around us must come as a shock with all this technology, but you'll get used to it. If you need help with anything just let me know."  
  
He has to snort, if only because the fool actually thinks him inept.  
  
"Gudako!" Mash smiles at something behind him, hurrying over to greet the woman as she comes to the door. His conversation seems to be over. Finally.  
  
He moves carefully around them, finding Gudako being fussed over about a small burn. What he finds in Hakuno's room is little better.  
  
"Just forget you saw anything!" Hakuno pleads, trying to get her plush knight back. "This is nothing!"

Arthur smiles holding the plush just out of reach. "But it's so cute, Hakuno! I just want to take a closer look at him, and then I'll give him back."  
  
The knight looks like it's been through a lot with how much it's been patched up.  
  
"Does he have a name? You've protected him very well. Patched him up and everything. He must have a name.

"Please! He's not something I want to talk about! Pretend you didn't see anything please!" She's jumping a little as Gilgamesh approaches, his arms moving slowly around her waist.  
  
"Not to worry, Hakuno. I can introduce Arthur to Arthamesh. I find he has the most interesting of names."  
  
Gilgamesh leans in.  
  
"You will have to tell us how you decided upon this name."

Arthamesh?  
  
 _That is too sweet, Gilgamesh. She's too cute. I almost want to hide her away in here._ Arthur halfway jokes to Gilgamesh, watching as Hakuno's face turns red.  
  
"Please. I don't know where you even heard about him from, but I swear he's nothing! Just forget you ever saw him." She pleas, trying to get the doll back from Arthur but failing.

"Now why would we do that?" Gilgamesh clicks his tongue at her. "Come now. You are tired. We all are. You need to be curling up in bed."  
  
He herds her towards the bed, hoisting her up and yanking the sheets back. He makes a show of tucking her in, climbing in behind her and holding onto her tight.  
  
"Arammu, bring yourself and our companion over as well. Our tattered guardian for Lady Hakuno needs to be continuing his duties at her side."

Laughing to himself, Arthur crawls into bed, making sure to be careful with the plush as he settles in on Hakuno's other side, placing the plush on the pillow next to Hakuno's head.  
  
"It's cute that you think about us so deeply. It is the same for us with you. There is no need to be embarrassed." Arthur hums, wrapping his arms around Hakuno holding her close. He's missed this too much, curling up in bed with both of them at his side. Things are finally right in the world again.  
  
"Let's get some rest, Master. In the morning, we can eat something, and you can get to know us better. I'm sure you have questions of your own for us."

Hakuno looks between them, feeling her face burning still.  
  
"At least tell me something embarrassing about you both as well! This isn't fair!"  
  
"Life isn't fair," Gilgamesh replies, snorting at the girl.

"Gilgamesh is weak to people touching the back of his neck." Arthur offers, "One moment, I'll show you."  
  
With that, Arthur reaches out, brushing the back of the other man's neck, watching him shiver.  
  
"See? If he ever gets too cranky or uppity with you, just do that, and he'll calm right on down."

Gilgamesh glares at him, pushing the man's hand away from his neck. "Well, if we are simply telling Hakuno foolish nonsense, Arthur has an undying admiration for pet names and for being treated like the king he is. For all his talk of being a knight amongst knights and all his talk of equality and the round table, he cannot help but enjoy being spoiled and placed upon a pedestal when the opportunity arises."  
  
Arthur snorts, leaning back.  
  
"We've done it now, Hakuno. I will have to move to his other side in a bit."  
  
 _Shut up, Arthur._  
  
 _She was feeling uncomfortable, Gil. We've humanized ourselves for her and made her more comfortable with her secret knight and books about us.  
_  
Gilgamesh rolls the opposite direction, turning away from them. A _re you reading her mind then?_  
  
He could dream. _No, I am guessing based on what I see. And now I'm seeing her saddened at upsetting you._  
  
 _Good._

Hakuno tries to cuddle up next to Gilgamesh pressing her face against his back. Maybe she shouldn't have asked.  
  
"I'm sorry, Gilgamesh." She mutters, "I wasn't trying to make you upset at me. I just wanted to get to know you better. I hope you can forgive me. I don't want to fight with you or Arthur. I like you a lot, Gilgamesh."  
  
She clings to his shirt tightly. "I couldn't bear it if you hated me too."

Hakuno," Arthur moves to hold her.  
  
"If I hated you too?" Gilgamesh glances over his shoulder, watching her a moment before his hand is moving through her hair. "I did not say that I hated you, little fool. Do not think to assume my thoughts."  
  
The two don't seem to need him at the moment. Arthur sighs in relief, turning his attention back to Hakuno's plush again. The mixed features are all too amusing, leaving him to smile a little as he adjusts the knight's felt helmet and cape.  
  
"You're turning away," Hakuno argues. "You're not cuddling us anymore. If we upset you, then I want to fix that immediately. We're partners. I would do anything to help you and Arthur. You both helped protect me too. You even saved Gudako today."  
  
She smiles up at him, her arms wrapping around his neck as she hugs him.  
  
"You're my hero at this point, Gilgamesh."  
  
The man makes something of a scoff, but there's a warmth that blooms as Arthur waits out their cute moment. It seems that Hakuno is affecting him just as she had before.  
  
"Thank you, Gilgamesh," Hakuno tells him, that sweet voice of hers filled with as much admiration as ever.

"You are my Master and my mage," Gilgamesh replies moving back to cuddle the woman. "Which is why you need rest. You played the hero today, Hakuno. Your Mana is weak."  
  
He wraps his arms around her.  
  
"If your mana gets too low, it will get to a point to where me and Arthur cannot even appear physically. We won't be able to hold you like this if that happens. Thus, you need to rest. Do as a mage and a Master should, and take care of yourself, so that you can take provide for us, and we may do the same for you."  
  
There. That should pacify her enough for one night. His Master needs rest. Gods, but the woman hasn't been sleeping hardly any before they got there. It's probably why her self-care is so bad.

Okay." Hakuno nods at his words, glancing over to find Arthur looking at her plush knight again. She feels her face warming. "He's not very good, A-Arthur. I made him when I was younger and then went about fixing his features over the next few years while growing older. I just wanted to make a servant figure of my own... It's a little dorky."  
  
She cuddles Gilgamesh more, wanting to melt into the blankets at confessing that. She wasn't very good at making plushes. She'd had a few students who had come and gone try to help her. Anastasia had taught her a little by letting her see her own doll.

"I think he's amazing, Hakuno." Arthur counters, smiling at the plush knight with his heterochromia eyes. Seeing his green and red eyes almost make him wish he had a child with eyes like that of Hakuno's knight. "I'm honored that you care about us enough to make something based on us. I'll work hard to live up to your expectations."  
  
He places the knight next to her arms.  
  
"I have my own slightly embarrassing hobbies. I can cook, you know. That isn't a very manly thing to do per se, but I enjoy cooking. I can cook for you, if you wish, Hakuno. Just say the word."

"You cook? That's amazing!" Hakuno smiles. "I would love to try anything that you want to make. I have only done some needlework in making my plush and then magecraft." It's not much, but it's been fun. She was going to eventually become an incredibly stable mage. Her father had told her that the tests they'd done had been successful in increasing her mana. With that, it'd be just a matter of training like Romani said.

"Once Chaldea is repaired a bit, I can cook for you, Master. You like sweets don't you? I'll make you some cookies, or a good cake." She would like that, he knows she would.  
  
"We could cook together even. That might be fun. You, me, and Gil in the kitchens together."  
  
He can hear Gilgamesh snort at that comment, but it would be a good chance to get Hakuno to open up more to them. They could understand just what all she's gone through in this place. He has a feeling that not everything they did to her was written down

"That's nice that you have a hobby like that that you enjoy." Hakuno looks over to Gilgamesh. "What about you? What do you like doing other than fighting? There must be something that makes you happy as a hobby... Other than your um... harems," she murmurs the last word, feeling her face heat up at her memory from his stories.  
  
The king who had slept with every single woman in his kingdom and many upon the night before or night of their weddings. He wasn't written in any kind manner. It was little wonder he'd gotten away with it.

Harems? He laughs at that. He hasn't even heard that word in a _long_ long time.

"Harems?" Arthur sits up, looking down at Hakuno. "I think you are mistaken. Gilgamesh doesn't do... I mean- He hasn't had a harem around since he was young. He is incredibly," he pauses, trying to think of how to explain.  
  
Good God, what's in the books she's read. It was bad enough that the books said he's married and taken Guinevere, but this too?  
  
"I don't sleep senselessly around with people," Gilgamesh offers.  
  
"Of course not anymore. You haven't since Enkidu died... I mean- I'm sorry! I know that is hard to think about." Hakuno moves to sit up as well, waving her hands a little. "Forget I mentioned them. I know they were your lover- I mean- I'm sorry! I'm sorry."  
  
"Enkidu was what?!" Arthur stares at her. "Hold on, Hakuno, let's back up. Enkidu was just a great friend to Gilgamesh. They were Gil's right hand."  
  
"Right. His hand. A personal comfort and someone who Gilgamesh treated like a wife because they were basically married."

Enkidu wasn't his lover. Well, not in the way this baby mage is thinking of anyway. They only had sex a few times out of curiosity.  
  
"In my world, Enkidu was my one and only friend, my general, and my business partner. My friend died of cancer. I got rid of my harems by the time I was twenty, and I was not a tyrant like you information would make you believe."  
  
She has been getting terribly wrong information about him. He shutters to think of what these fools say about Arthur.  
  
"Don't believe everything you read, Hakuno. Ask us directly about anything you're curious about. You can hear our stories straight from the source. We wouldn't lie to you."

"You weren't lovers with Enkidu?"  
  
Both men shake their heads. Arthur moves to take her hand into his, holding it tightly.  
  
"Trust me when I say that Gilgamesh has been only sleeping with two people in his last life and that was for a vast majority of that life."  
  
"As do you, Arammu," Gil reminds him.  
  
"I'm not denying it, Gil." Arthur points out before turning his attention back to Hakuno. "Let me maybe try to explain a few things. It's hard to ask questions when you don't know fact from fiction. Let's see."  
  
 _You could begin with how we came to get along_ , Gil offers. _The death of Uther, your bout of illness that had sent you into a rage we've only seen in that Alter Artoria, the grail war we fought in, the two times we faced and slaughtered that fool Lucius-_  
  
 _I can't begin there. Too long. Our master is tired._ Arthur shakes his head a moment before an idea comes. He pulls his nightshirt off, letting Hakuno see the tattoo work on his chest, the ones identical to Gilgamesh's own.  
  
"A great place to begin would be these. Gilgamesh and I found that between ourselves and our wife, we um... Well, we were terrible at keeping track of rings. They always were stolen by our kids or breaking in the midst of battle or our wife would end up being messed with. Something always happened. So- in order to allow ourselves to never be lost to one another and to always remember each other, we had tattoos done."  
  
He brings Hakuno's hand to the Cuneiform of her name and Gil's own on his chest. "The markings are traditional and unique. They allow a little more than just a visual reminder, but I can talk about that another time."  
  
Gilgamesh is already taking his robe off as well, letting Hakuno glance over and see his markings as well.  
  
"These are pretty. What do the markings here mean?" She motions at both sets of names.  
  
"If you cannot read it, then we cannot tell you," Gilgamesh replies. "You'll just have to learn Sumerian."

"I can learn," Hakuno promises. "I can learn in between my classes. Romani says I still have to go to class." She sighs a bit at that. "You guys might have to hang out here with me while I do my coursework on my laptop."  
  
But still, she can't take her eyes off that tattoo, her fingertips tracing Arthur's tattoo gently.  
  
"Your wife is lucky that she gets to love you both. I hope I can find someone who loves me as much as you both love her."  
  
She was starting to like these two in a romantic type of way, but if they have a wife... Maybe Gudako was right, she should just think of them as teammates.

"She was quite something." Arthur agrees. "Her name was a reference to a field of flowers. Her hair was this beautiful brown that reminded me of the forests in the spring around Camelot. Her eyes were this honey brown color that you could get lost in for hours. She wasn't tall like Gilgamesh and me. She was a mage like yourself. She was kind, honest, loving; she cared more about our family than anything else."  
  
He kisses her hand, wishing against all odds that she would connect the dots and remember them. If she would only-  
  
"Her name was Hakuno," Gilgamesh offers, settling back under the covers. "Come, you should be resting. Both of you. That's enough talk for one night."

Hakuno pauses at that. Wait, wait, wait.  
  
That doesn't make sense. Her name is Hakuno but...  
  
No, there's no way, but she has brown hair and eyes too.  
  
She settles back under the covers her eyes meeting Arthur's.  
  
"Do I remind you of your wife, Arthur?" She whispers as Gilgamesh closes his eyes.

Arthur runs a hand through his hair, trying to think of how to avoid this. She doesn't need to feel obligated to them. Just because she has Hakuno's circuits, doesn't make her theirs. God, but he wishes it did though. They're so much alike. He's a shit liar.  
  
"You do," he admits sheepishly. He can feel his face redden a little. "Our Hakuno was exactly like you, right down to the voice. I vow to you, that doesn't mean we'll do anything you don't want, but it's a bit awkward. We sensed your feeling upset earlier and I was tempted to break down walls to try to find you. I just wanted to see you smile again."  
  
He should follow Gil's lead. He pulls the blankets up and replaces her plush back between them, close enough for Hakuno to cuddle.  
  
"We are noble kings, Hakuno. We won't touch or do anything untoward to you. We'd never forgive ourselves if we did."

Hakuno can feel her face redden a bit, "I really like you both, Arthur." she admits shyly, looking down at her plush for a moment, before hugging it close to her, her body meanwhile cuddling close to Arthur.  
  
"You make my heart beat so fast. I hope one day, that maybe you can love me like you loved your wife."  
  
She doesn't know why she said that. She shouldn't have.  
  
"S-Sorry. That was a selfish thing to say. I shouldn't force you to love me just because I have the same name as your wife." She presses her face against his chest. "Goodnight Arthur. I'm happy you're next to me," she whispers before closing her eyes.

Arthur watches her for a few minutes, unsure of what to say.  
  
How could he not love her, being who she was and being the way she was? The woman was an angel, one who had served to love him and Gilgamesh despite their flaws. his hand runs through her hair, watching her and trying to think of how he could have ever responded to that. He has to say something in the morning to her about that. She's young though. Maybe he can tell her to tell him again when she's of age?  
  
 _Gil?_  
  
He needs an expert opinion.  
  
It seems the expert decided to indulge though. The man rolls over, sound asleep and wrapping his arms and legs around Hakuno by the looks of it. His face presses into her hair, the soft sound of his breathing coming in as calm as ever.  
  
She was going to wake up tangled against him at this rate. Arthur glances at her doll before letting himself rest.  
  


Tomorrow he'll have to think about this. Tonight, he can get some sleep.


	9. Sweven

_Hakuno can feel herself panicking. Her baby wasn't breathing. One marriage ceremony with Gilgamesh, and a violent encounter with Arthur that somehow led to him being shoved into a closet by Gilgamesh, she found herself giving birth to her babies.  
  
Two girls. She hasn't gotten to see them yet, but the boy had been a surprise. Gilgamesh is trying to revive him with CPR. Her stomach is twisted in knots, she wants to go fight the asshole in the closet for causing this mess in the first place.  
  
She wants to scream until she can hear the crying start from the boy. Loud enough crying to wake the dead. Gilgamesh is laughing loudly, holding the boy close._  
  
"Sian.." Hakuno accidentally mutters against Gilgamesh sleepily, her body stirring awake. That was a strange dream. It felt too real. She cuddles closer against the golden king.

Gilgamesh can feel himself laughing a little as his dream continues. He knows it's a dream, but reliving the memory is too tempting.   
  
_His boy is in his arms again, barely anything more than a tiny thing. He hugs the little brunet to himself, feeling him cry those lungs right out into the world and knowing he is alive and well with his two sisters. His hand is aching from the trap he'd been stuck in. He's losing blood fast from the wounds.  
  
"Gil," he hears Hakuno complain.  
  
He needs to clean them all up. He isn't done yet..._  
  
"Gil."  
  
 _He can get some clean supplies downstairs. It won't take long.  
_  
"Prince Charming, wake up," Arthur's voice calls again, awakening him from the scene.   
  
Gone is his son from his arms. Instead, he's clinging to Hakuno, whom is pressed against his chest.   
  
"She has been crying about Sian," Arthur tells him.   
  
"She remembered Ur-Nungal?"   
  
"I'm not sure. I've been watching over you both all night, but about halfway through the night, she started to say things in her sleep. I think she's remembering our time."

Hakuno can hear their voices. That's not good, she should be awake before they are, as their Master.  
  
But the baby was too cute. He had the same color of hair as she did. She wanted to go back to sleep to hug him, even if it was just a dream.  
  
Her eyes take a minute to focus but she can see Gilgamesh's red eyes staring down at her. She smiles up at him.   
  
"Good morning, Gil." she nuzzles against him. "I hope you slept okay.”

"Waking up to feed Sian or simply stop him from getting up to trouble?"   
  
Wait-  
  
"Sian?!" Hakuno sits up, frowning as she looks about her bedroom in Chaldea. Her hands go to her plush knight. Her heart races away, almost expecting the Japanese looking place and the crib nearby. Instead, steel and windowless walls meet her gaze.   
  
She looks to the two servants.  
  
"It would seem you are sharing memories with us," Gilgamesh states, moving to stand properly. "I would advise against it. There's nothing good that can come from stealing memories from us. Let's get dressed and get you something to eat."

Hakuno tries to calm her heart down, looking in between the two Servants.   
  
Marisbury did say that sometimes a Master does share dreams with their Servants...   
  
"I can't help it." Hakuno shakes her head. "I don't know how to shut my consciousness off while I sleep like most mages." She wonders if Gudako is sharing dreams with David too. She knows that the young Master has no idea how to close her mind off either.   
  
"Sian was cute," she whispers.

"I'm going ahead." Gilgamesh heads for the door, closing it behind himself as he materializes his clothes on.   
  
"He's very cute," Arthur agrees quietly. "Don't mind Gil too much. Sian was the miracle baby. I don't know the details since I missed his birth, but I know Gilgamesh has been protective of him since the moment he was born. He loves that boy more than air."   
  
He can sense something from Gil's direction. He can't help but feel his chest aching as he tries to reach out.   
  
"Gilgamesh was all about the babies when we were all alive together. The only thing he hated was handing the twin girls off on their wedding days. I thought he'd slaughter Enkidu's son."

Hakuno frowns a bit, her chest feeling empty all of a sudden.   
  
"I hope you both aren't upset at me. I really wasn't trying to intrude on your dreams. I'm not trying to take the place of your wife or anything. I'm sorry."  
  
She'll have to apologize to Gilgamesh later.   
  
"Let's get dressed, Arthur. I have to spend some time with Romani this morning. He wants to do another check-up."

That again.  
  
Arthur pulls her to a stop.   
  
"Look, Hakuno..." Arthur thinks for a second before shaking his head. "You don't have to worry about taking the place of our wife or anything like that. You have a lot in common with her. Your mana feels exactly like hers, but Gil and I aren't expecting or needing you to take her place. If you fall for us or something, that's wonderful. We both like you... Especially Gil."   
  
He doesn't need her knowing the depths of how much he'd loved her against him.  
  
"If you simply want to be at our side as an ally, we're mature. We can handle it. We just ask that you're honest with yourself and with us... Does that make sense?"

Hakuno thinks for a moment on his words before shaking her head.  
  
Be honest with herself and with them...  
  
She can do that.  
  
"I like you both. More than anything. I-I dreamed about meeting you both for the longest time. My father used to tell me stories about you both. He sometimes would mention a foreign girl that you both loved. I wished I could be her when I was small, a-as dorky as that sounds. I like it when we cuddle at night, you both make me feel safe and loved.”

Arthur lifts her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles.   
  
"Then, my lady Hakuno, cuddle us, enjoy us, do whatever makes that noble heart of yours sing. We came to your call, not to the call of anyone else, living or long passed."   
  
He looks to the door.   
  
"Gilgamesh will be fine. Give him time to get used to you."

She knows she's blushing. He's looking at her with those pretty eyes of his, and it's making her heart race.  
  
The thought of thinking of them both as allies go out the door as she hugs her Servant tightly.   
  
"I hope so. I don't like fighting with Gilgamesh. You both are my heroes."

"We're not really heroes. We are simply servants who lived good lives," Arthur replies. "Now come on. You said that Romani wanted to look at your health, right? I want to find out more about what training and efforts have been done to help you become a strong mage. Maybe Gilgamesh and I can think of some things to help."  
  
"That would be great!" Hakuno smiles, moving to stand up and put on one of the building uniforms. "I had a big surgery a few years back to help with my mana circuits. It's an experimental surgery, but since then, I've found that I do have decent magecraft. The strength fluctuates and sometimes I have weird dreams, but I'm stronger."

A big surgery? Gilgamesh did mention they did surgeries on her. Arthur stands up, adverting his gaze as Hakuno gets dressed. Maybe he can get a better understanding of what was done to Hakuno if he just asks directly.   
  
"Hakuno, I hope you don't mind me asking, but... Do they treat you well here? Are you happy here? You don't have to answer if you don't want to, I'm just curious about your life here."

"Hmm? I mean, mostly. Romani is my best friend and he's been nothing but kind to me. Gudako is nice to me. Mash is kind as can be. I don't know. I've just... I've only had a hard time when it comes to Team A and then with my father."  
  
She looks at her white jacket, fiddling with the buckles a little.   
  
"My life here is the best a mage can hope for. Mages don't have a lot of job options, not if they want to be strong or enjoy their magecraft. Mages never get to keep their servants around either."

"I'd like to hear about your troubles with your father and those other mages. It's not good to keep everything bottled up, Master."  
  
He smiles over at her. "I would like to stay by your side as long as possible, Hakuno. I don't care for mages, but you're the exception."   
  
Arthur doesn't like that talk at all. They've taught her that magecraft is the end all be all to life. That isn't true at all. They need to open up her mind to more ideas than being a mage.

"I don't mind telling you about it. We can talk while Romani does the checkup for me."  
  
"I'd appreciate it." Arthur opens the door, only to find Gilgamesh waiting.  
  
"We should learn directions in this building," Gilgamesh points out. "The place is more of a maze than any labyrinth we've been trapped in."

Gudako yawns as she steps out of her room, giving a greeting before nearly jumping out of her skin when the green-haired Archer materializing.  
  
"Jesus, old man, you scared the hell out of me!" Gudako brings a hand to her chest, as the Archer laughs, patting her back.   
  
"W-we should get going, Hakuno before Romani comes looking for us. I don't want to get lectured today."

"I won't let him lecture you," David promises. "I've been learning the layout of the building. It seems that there will be no hot water and no use of certain areas for a while. There are too many broken pipes. Toilets are restricted to the floor below."  
  
Gudako groans. "And no elevators? Shit. I'm going to need diapers at this rate. I hope someone knows how to fix it."  
  
Hakuno can't help the sarcastic laugh. "Do you remember when Da Vinci wanted her coffee machine fixed? Do you think that ever got done? Or how about the elevator and lights by Romani's old room."  
  
"Good point. We're fucked." Gudako shakes her head.

Arthur pauses at hearing of all the issues around Chaldea. They need hot water at least. He could fix that.   
  
"I could help fix things up around Chaldea." Arthur offers, "I'm pretty handy with tools. I could have us having hot water for you all by tonight even. I used to run a plumbing business in my world."  
  
It wouldn't take him too long, maybe a little longer than usual since he doesn't have the knights helping but he could get it done on his own.

Gudako stares at him.   
  
"But you were a king."  
  
"I was," Arthur admits, "but I had a bout of teenage/young adult rebellion and opened a plumbing business. It's a bit of a story."  
  
"He's good at cleaning pipes," Gilgamesh tells them. "Let him fix things. I'll make sure you do your coursework, Hakuno."

Hakuno looks up at Arthur for a moment, before glancing at Gilgamesh. "Are you sure, Gil?" She doesn't want to force him to do too much...  
  
"I want to Hakuno." Arthur assures her, "I enjoy tinkering around with tools. This will be fun for me, I assure you. Go do your coursework with, Gil. I'll come in and check on you at lunchtime." He reaches out and pats her head, "Make sure you tell Gil about your father and everything. You've been through quite a bit, Hakuno. Gil will listen."

_I'll make sure to think on what she tells me so that you hear,_ Gilgamesh thinks, moving forward to take Hakuno's hand into his own.  
  
"Do you want me to lead you to the team working on the place?" David looks at Arthur. "They aren't far. I was thinking some old manual labor skills of mine could come in handy. I can hammer in a nail with the best person."

_Thank you, Gil. I need to know what has all been done to her in this place_ Arthur sends his way, before turning his attention to David.  
  
"That would be greatly appreciated, David. It'll be nice to have a fellow Servant helping out. We could get to know one another a bit better since we'll be allies for a long while."  
  
Truthfully, thanks to the class he was summoned in, he already knows everything about David. David the king of Israel. Slayer of Goliath, best friend to Johnathan the son of King Saul, and father to King Solomon. He would like to get to know him better anyway, considering he's the father of their enemy.

"Come on," David motions away from the group, towards the stairwell nearby. He has a feeling they'll be doing more of the difficult work since they can't die so easily like the humans around here.  
  
"After you," Arthur tells him.   
  
He still feels that awkward feeling in his chest the moment that Gilgamesh is out of sight. Once more, he finds himself pausing on the stairwell, looking back as though he should be seeing Gil there.  
  
It's only for a few hours.  
  
The few hours apart would give them hot water and pleasures that they need. He has more than enough skills to help repair parts of Chaldea. They need him to step away from his husband.  
  
"You alright, Ruler?"  
  
"Fine, fine." Arthur shakes his head, hurrying up the stairs after the man.


	10. Twenty Questions and Coffee

Gudako leads the way into the infirmary, spotting Romani waiting for them already.  
  
"We're here for our checkups, Doc. Hakuno had to bring a tagalong with us, but we're here."  
  
"Gudako!" Hakuno whines, taking her shoes off. Her friend teases her too much. She already misses Arthur not being next to her, but they need him to help out around Chaldea.  
  
It should be fine. She'll give him a big hug when she sees him again.

"Don't look too depressed now, Hakuno. You're not playing favorites, right?" Gudako nudges at her a little as she climbs onto a bed. The comment or two earns her a warning from Romani about behaving.  
  
"The last thing we need is complaints or warfare in the halls." Romani holds a clipboard for Gilgamesh to look through. "Here, Ruler. I'm making servants sign that they won't get into trouble in Chaldea. The facility workers remaining are concerned about safety."  
  
"I'll look into this."  
  
"You'll sign."  
  
The blond gives a small smirk, lifting the paperwork and looking at it as he settles beside her now. Hakuno watches him cross out lines, spinning the pen in hand.  
  
"What happens if they break contract?" she asks.  
  
"Servant burning," Romani replies, starting the tests on Gudako.

"Oh," Hakuno replies, watching Gilgamesh begin to fill out the form.  
  
"I don't want to lose you, Gil. We have to be careful about not getting into any arguments with anyone if more Servants show up."  
  
She doesn't want him to get burned, she hears the process is painful as well... She doesn't want that for him and Arthur.  
  
"We will have to make Princess sign these forms whenever he is done playing handyman," Gilgamesh tells her, as he looks over the forms closely.  
  
No fighting, something about swearing to protect humanity. How foolish. They already promised to do such a thing by becoming Servants. They're bound to protect humanity by their contract with the world upon death. He doesn't have a choice in the matter, just as Arthur and David don't have a choice.

Still, that doesn't mean he's going to follow all of these rules. The moment that the fool has his back turned, he moves to remove some lines, whiting outlines and simply scribbling out other lines. The rule about obeying the director of the place? Unimportant. Dress codes? No.  
  
By the time he is through, he adds his own amendment, that nothing can be added without thorough review and agreement by him when he is of sound health and with his master and other half.  
  
"Here you are," Gilgamesh hands the document back, watching the doctor sigh at the sight of the blacked outlines. "I have agreed to what is reasonable."

Romani throws Hakuno a sheepish look. "Hakuno, you'll have to make sure that Gilgamesh and Arthur follow all these rules, okay? If they break their contract, you'll be responsible for their actions."  
  
He watches the girl nod her head, hoping that she truly understands the consequences if she can't get her Servants to obey her. He could have to kill her for showing magecraft to non-mages.  
  
He'd rather not think about that as he monitors Gudakos' mana levels.  
  
"Your mana is still low, Gudako. I'm going to need you to rest today. Bedrest for you, until I can think of a way to get your mana levels up naturally."

"Hakuno has no responsibility for myself and Arthur. You are burdening her unnecessarily. As for the words on that contract, I have amended the things out that were useless. I am not wandering around hoping that you don't make me a servant to someone else. I do not need to be kept contained if something happens in Chaldea that you do not understand the full extent of. And, most of all, I have no desire to allow Hakuno to be separated from myself and my dragon. Speaking of-"  
  
Gilgamesh moves closer to the man.  
  
"You can begin with discussion about the mana circuit transplant."  
  
Even Gudako is frowning now, moving over to Hakuno's side as Romani pales.  
  
"What do you know-"  
  
"I know enough," Gil replies. "Enough to know you dug up someone who was not meant to be dug up."

"T-That wasn't me!" Romani whispers, "Hakuno, Gudako, can you both step outside-"  
  
"No. Gudako can go, but Hakuno stays." Gilgamesh hisses. "You dug up someone that should be resting in Kyoto with her family. You owe me answers, doctor."  
  
"I'm telling you what I know. I did not order her to be dug up. Hakuno's father and his protege went through with it. I only agreed to do the surgery if it was clear there would be no lasting side effects, and that we could open up her circuits slowly! You and King Arthur are acting as if we have put her through torture here. Marisbury cared for Hakuno. He made sure that she has the best education and kept her safe. If Kirstcharia wasn't in the picture, Hakuno would've been his protege."  
  
That was a small lie, but he'd rather not get into the truth of things. Not while Hakuno is around. She can't know the full extent of Marisburys plans for her.

"Ah, so you just agree to put a dead woman's mana circuits into someone else so long as the lasting effects won't matter. Right."  
  
Gilgamesh nods, beginning to prepare another remark when he feels Hakuno holding his arm. At a glance, he can see her paling.  
  
"W-Whose mana circuits do I have?"  
  
Romani shakes his head. "They're yours now, Hakuno-"  
  
"Romani, Gil's upset. You said that they were donated, but they can't be donated if Gil says they were dug up. Who did they belong to?"

Romani runs a hand through his hair. He really does not want to have this conversation right now.

"Hakuno," He wants to tell her to forget it, but Gilgamesh is glaring a hole through him.  
  
"Tell her Hebrew, or I will for you."  
  
Romani sighs. Dammit. "Hakuno, your circuits are from a woman with the same name as you. I don't know the details fully, I swear I don't, but your father believed that the woman we got your circuits from became a goddess, and wanted you to have them."

"Whether or not he wanted Hakuno to have them, they were not his to give. You do not know what could have happened to her when receiving the circuits. You don't understand the strain that she went through in her life." More like- he didn't understand how much Hakuno had suffered when learning that he and Arthur would live past her, due to the effect of the Grail's wish. The amount of effort she had gone to increase her mana was still a mystery to him. The Hakuno now could have died

  
"My circuits... are from a goddess?"  
  
Hakuno stares at herself, following the lines from where the experiment had been done.  
  
"This Hakuno... Who was she?"  
  
She couldn't be the same one that Gilgamesh and Arthur had mentioned. The thought makes her stomach twist. They had loved her so much. Their Hakuno had had her own babies too. She had memories about that.

Romani feels a headache coming on. This Servant of Hakuno's is too damn much.  
  
"Okay, you both may not like hearing this, but I'm going to tell you what I know. I only know what Marisbury disclosed to me nothing more, nothing less." He leans back in his chair, wishing he had some coffee right about now. Or maybe some sake.

"Marisbury was in a grail war. I don't know what Servant he had or anything, all I know is that his last opponent was the head of the Kishinami family, again, with the same name as Hakuno. From the records I have on your family, Hakuno, every head of the family took up the name of Hakuno." He shakes his head, "Anyway, their Servant was an Assassin class Servant, a facet of Tamamo-no-mae. They played the long game with Marisbury, but what your family didn't know was that your father was already aware of where they were hiding. He knew your family's history of that of being descended from a woman that married two kings, and became a goddess with their help. He set the village your family was staying in on fire, and then he came across you, just as your mother and father were dying and saved you. He felt guilty and made you his daughter. He thought it was only right that you should have that woman's circuits because you did not get a chance to know your family."

Hakuno nods at the information. "T-that sounds like my dreams."

Hakuno's eyes drift to Gilgamesh.  
  
"Gil, can you leave him be? He's been more like a father than anyone else. He helps me, even if it isn't in a way that you're used to. I trust Romani."  
  
She gives him a smile before finding the man shaking his head.  
  
"Romani-"  
  
"Your mana is weak as well. Let's get some food in you and then get you some rest. There is a lot of repair going on around the base. It isn't like there's a lot I can have you and Gudako do anyway."

Hakuno nods, standing up and hugging the doctor.  
  
"Thank you for the information, Romani. Thank you for being honest."  
  
She turns to Gilgamesh.  
  
"Let's go get something to eat, Gil. Then we can go back to my room for the day, and wait for Arthur if you want."

“We should see what he's been forced to do," Gilgamesh counters. The thought of seeing the fool working on plumbing again sounds all too appealing.  
  
 _I'm placing pipes. It's not that dirty, Gil._ Arthur warns from where he's working. _You can be ridiculous sometimes._

"It's hard to believe that King Arthur was a handyman in his past life." Hakuno admits, humming a bit. 

Gilgamesh laughs. _Did you hear that, Princess?_

_Gil, I can't hear what she says to you. You have to think it to me so that I can hear. Just because we share brain cells doesn't mean we share ears. Otherwise, we'd share and have to try out a few other things.  
  
_ Gilgamesh rolls his eyes, glancing down to Hakuno and patting her head.  
  
"Arthur can really clean those pipes when he feels like it. He makes sure nothing leaks unless he wishes for pipes to leak."

"He should check my pipes in my room too then." Hakuno ponders Gilgamesh's words, "If he's so good at cleaning pipes then I wouldn't mind him cleaning my pipes." _  
  
_Gilgamesh snorts, nearly losing his composure at that. Such a lewd woman.  
  
"You should protect your pipes better, you fool. You need food and then we'll see about Mister Perfect and his handyman skills. Repairing a few pipes shouldn't be anything too dreadful for the likes of him."  
 _  
You're amused by something,_ Arthur growls his way. _  
  
Our underaged mage has a filthy mind. It amused me.  
  
Stop with the Marino Plumber jokes, _Arthur pleads. _  
  
I cannot help you with this Princess Mango._

Protect her pipes? "From what? From Arthur? Why? Would he bust my pipes instead of fixing them?" Maybe they should've gotten a professional to help...  
  
"I'll make you some coffee, Gil. Then we'll go see about Arthur after we eat."

 _I'm going to get some coffee,_ Gil tells the man, earning a groan from Arthur's end. _  
  
Good god, the fool is giving you coffee. That's the last thing I need.  
  
Don't worry. The coffee is for me. You may enjoy my mental commentary as I partake in it.  
_  
"A coffee would be suitable, given the circumstances. Perhaps while we eat you may show me what tomfoolery these mages think to teach you around here." His mood is bolstered further by Arthur's complaints about him not needing coffee.

Hakuno nods, taking him by the hand and leading him to the dining hall.  
  
"What would you like to know, Gil? I'll tell you what I can." She promises, smiling at the use of that old word he used just now. He's too cute.

"You knew that you were experimented on. What did they have you doing around here? How exactly did they present myself and Enkidu in your stories? I am interested in hearing what malarkey they proclaim about Arthur as well. My dragon seemed upset last night."  
  
He hurries her along at the sight of coffee.  
  
Finally, someone is willing to provide proper drinks around this place.

"Um well..." Hakuno begins, going through the coffee pods, before popping a columbine coffee inside the machine and powering it on. "I mostly study. I have online classes for my Clock Tower work from 8-11 in the morning. I study with Lord El Melloi II. My father said that you fought in a war with him before."  
  
She listens to the coffee machine turn on before continuing, "Before my father changed, I would spend my days studying magecraft with him and Kirstcharia. All I know is studying magecraft to be honest. That's the way things are for young mages. You study, sleep, eat, then wake up and study more."

That sounds incredibly dull," Gilgamesh glances at her. "And I have never heard of any Lord Elma Second. Then again, I doubt I'd remember him even if I did."  
  
The moment the coffee is poured, Gilgamesh takes a sip, wrinkling his nose.  
  
"Where are the fixings for this atrocity you call coffee? I need lumps."

Hakuno leads Gilgamesh into the kitchen, poking her head inside of the fridge and pulling out the cream, and motioning behind Gilgamesh. "The sugar is right behind you, Gil."  
  
She tries to think of what else to tell him...  
  
"My father used to read your stories and Arthur's legends to me at night. It's how I learned how to speak English. I think he knew I was related to your wife or something, now that I think about it. I used to hear stories about how you were a tyrant, and you and Enkidu conquered the cedar forest and pissed off the goddess Ishtar so much, she killed Enkidu, and you went on a quest for immortality afterward, but failing at the last minute."  
  
She hopes those memories aren't so bad for him to remember... She knows she would be upset if she was in his shoes.

"Ha! As if Ishtar could manage to do anything to Enkidu!"  
  
He moves to the fixings, beginning with the sugar. Tipping the sugar in, he can hear Arthur groaning again.  
  
 _Don't put too much sugar. You know it gives you a stomachache._  
  
"Ishtar was a phenomenal pain in my ass. My favorite moment of her life was when my wife took a blade and slit her throat." He's not paying much attention to Hakuno at the moment, opting to pour more sugar and now cream into his drink.  
  
"She what?"  
  
"She sliced the goddess right on her altar. The moment she had heard that the goddess had aims at me, the woman stormed her temple and slaughtered her. It was the day of the goddess' own festival. Her worshipers were everywhere and there she was, covered in the goddess' blood, holding her head in her hands."

If only Lucius had been so easy.

"She sounds scary," Hakuno mutters, killing a goddess... Is that even possible?  
  
"But anyway, that's what I've been told about you, Gil. As for Arthur...."  
  
There are so many stories, she isn't sure where to begin.  
  
"I guess the most famous stories of Arthur are him marrying Guinevere and being betrayed by Lancelot, Mordred, and Morgana. He was left to die alone, and when Bedivere tried to return his holy sword to the Lady of the Lake, he kept lying to Arthur, saying he had when he really hadn't. As punishment for his actions, Merlin grafted Excalibur onto Bedivere's arm, and now it's said he roams the earth, trying to make amends for not doing as his king asked.

"Well, I doubt Bedivere wouldn't listen," Gilgamesh laughs. "Arthur tells the man to bend over and Bedivere is grabbing his own hips and preparing himself."  
  
 _Shut up._  
  
"And as for marrying Guinevere," Gilgamesh glances over to Hakuno, making sure to think as he speaks. _"_ _I_ _f Arthur so much as looked at that lazy-eyed, one-celled cad of a mongrel, I would ensure that the look was the last one that he saw with those eyes of his. He'd be buried in the basement of his castle and his knights would be roaming the earth for another reason other than making amends.”_

 _Gilgamesh, you know I would never look at Guinevere. You and Hakuno are the only ones for me_ Arthur sends his way.  
  
"T-That's just what I've read." Hakuno reminds the king. "You both are so different from what I read. Not that that is a bad thing. I love spending time with you both. I just was expecting a tyrant, and a king that looked ready for war twenty-four seven."  
  
She can feel her face warm, she used to imagine marrying them both when she was younger, but maybe that's a story better left unsaid.

"Well, I have managed enough warfare that I suppose you could consider me a tyrant."  
  
 _You're no more a tyrant than I'm a girl._  
  
 _Easily fixable, if you recall Merlin's handiwork,_ Gilgamesh reminds him. He sips at his coffee, looking at her more carefully.  
  
"So you have two servants. What now, Kishinami Hakuno? You possess mana circuits capable of holding a great amount of power. You have an opportunity before you. You can hide here in Chaldea. Study your life away. Die... or you can make a different choice."

Hakuno thinks on his words, unsure of what to say but...  
  
"Lev's words bothered me yesterday. I think we should stay here in Chaldea and help defeat Solomon." Hakuno begins. "The fact that Romani can't see a future past this current year is worrying. I still haven't gotten a chance to ask him about that. I want to find a way to keep you both next to me too. Mages typically don't keep their Servants around for too long, but I don't want to be away from either of you."

"Then I guess we're going to be protecting humanity." Gilgamesh sips at the drink in his hands and watches her. "So long as you place your own wellbeing and personal guards before humanity, then I will agree to join."  
  
"We should protect humanity with all of our being."  
  
Gilgamesh snorts.  
  
"We should. That's why my father built Chaldea. This whole place and everyone in it wants the universe and humanity protected. We want to have the servants who laid down their lives during their lifetimes to help us to just help once more, keeping us safe forever."  
  
"And when you get tired? When you're on verge of death and need someone to reach out their hand to you?"  
  
"Chaldea is a collection of masters. We're meant to be protecting one another."  
  
"That doesn't answer the question, Hakuno."  
  
"I don't know... I hope for the best."  
  
He winces as he sips his coffee again, gaze going elsewhere. He has no desire to continue this any further.  
  
"Gilgamesh-"  
  
"I have offered to stand at your side. Just don't be foolish."

"I don't plan on dying," Hakuno replies. "I'm going to get stronger as a mage to protect Gudako and you all as well. I can't let you and Arthur do all the work."  
  
She shakes her head.  
  
"I'm sorry I couldn't give you the answer you wanted, Gilgamesh. If it were between you and Arthur or me, I think, no, I know I would pick you both and humanity over myself."

"You are young. Foolish. I will ensure that you don't waste time making mistakes."  
  
Gilgamesh moves forward, leaning in.  
  
"Sip some of this. You and I are going to protect what we deem appropriate. However, know this- If it comes between you and humanity, you will be the first pulled out of danger. Arthur and I have lost you once. It will not happen again."

Hakuno takes a sip of the coffee he's offering, raising a brow at his words.  
  
"You would give up all of humanity for me?" she asks. "Why?" That line of thinking is foolish. She is just a weak mage, with no family, no home to call home. He may be fond of her, but to pick her over humanity? If anyone here is being foolish it's him.

"You are my master." Gilgamesh flicks at her forehead, pouring himself another cup of coffee. "Do not make a foolish mistake and force Princess and me to put up with such nonsense again. The summonings get no more pleasant as the years go by."  
  
 _That better not be another cup of coffee,_ Arthur warns.  
  
 _I think cup two tastes better than cup one,_ Gilgamesh thinks back, smirking behind his coffee cup.

"Then we'll just have to be there for each other." Hakuno counters, watching as he drinks his coffee. "If I get to be too much, you can reel me in, and I can do the same for you and Arthur. Communication is important. I'd rather not have any misunderstandings because we don't talk to each other."

"Oh, that won't be a problem. There's no secrets or lack of information between Arthur and myself." Gilgamesh sips at his drink a little more. "We are psychically incapable of keeping anything from one another."

Oh.  
  
That's good then. She feels relieved. They'll be a good team together.  
  
"You look cute when you're enjoying your coffee, Gil." She says before she can stop herself. "I'll drink some with you."

"I look handsome, in general. The coffee means nothing, Hakuno." He does smirk though.  
  
 _Prince Charming, you better not be drinking that much coffee-_  
  
"I suppose I could have another cup and humor you with my presence in our room. The doctor spoke of bed rest." Gilgamesh pours himself another cup and motions the woman towards the door. They should get back to her room.


	11. The Blasphemous Tales of King Artha-fake and His Knights of False-alot

Arthur wipes the sweat off his forehead as he screws in the last pipe, before glancing down at David. The man was just barking orders at him nearly the whole time, all the while talking about how he's a fellow king, and that they should respect each other.  
  
He can see where Solomon gets his shadiness from, as he hops down in front of the man.  
  
"I think that will do it for today, David. The girls will have hot water for their baths tonight. I know our Masters will be happy about that."

"Well done," David tells him. "Naturally, a king with good guidance is bound to be successful in anything he attempts to do. I'll make sure to let my master know about the successful work! Be sure to shower up and get some rest in. We'll repair more tomorrow."  
  
Arthur nods, closing his eyes a little to see if he can tell what Gil's up to. Three cups of coffee were going to result in a headache. He can already sense the buzz of the caffeine, but far be it from him to be able to tell the fool what to do and what not to do.   
  
The other facility workers around are sighing in relief, sealing up the ceiling, and testing the elevator they'd been working on. It seems they'd soon have that fixed as well.  
  
"I'll talk to you later, David," Arthur tells the man simply, heading away.   
  
The two had planned to go to the bedroom if he'd understood Gil's rush of thoughts well enough. He moves slowly, heading down the stairs and opening the door to find Gilgamesh looking over papers with Hakuno. The bed is a mess of notes, Hakuno's hair tied back into a large bun as they both look up at the door opening.   
  
"Ah! Arthur! Did you finish working already?"

Arthur looks over at the nightstand noting the large cup of coffee, sitting there.   
  
You're going to have a stomachache in about an hour, Prince Charming* Arthur tells the demi-god, earning an eye roll from the man as he sits down on the bed.   
  
"I am done. We should have hot water in a few minutes. The elevator works again as well." He takes a peek at her notes. Noting Merlin's name appearing again and again.  
  
"You're interested in Merlin? Or is this your schoolwork?"

"It's schoolwork," Hakuno tells him. "And everyone knows Merlin wasn't real. He was just an excuse to hide the mages that were working for you."   
  
Everyone knew that.   
  
She smiles, pulling the man over to her side and cuddling between them. She likes the warmth that comes from having them both around her. Gilgamesh has been especially helpful, making sure the lighting is proper with new lamps and giving her more cushions for the bed. He's so different from the stories.  
  
Then again, he'd had children. That's weird to think about. she hoped he didn't see her like a daughter.

Arthur laughs a bit. She thought Merlin wasn't real?  
  
Oh God, he wishes the man was around, just so that he can tell him what Hakuno just said. He'd feign being hurt, and then go crying to Hakuno until she apologized.  
  
"Merlin is very much real, Hakuno," Arthur admits, pressing his lips to the top of her head. "In my world, my wife used to look up to him in terms of magecraft. He was the godfather of western magecraft in my world as well. You would like him if you ever meet each other."

"He was unfortunately real," Gilgamesh agrees, looking through more of her books while she works on her coursework. "He was useless though. The useful one was his twin sister, Mari. Magicians are flighty, but Mari had proven herself a few times to be someone of merit. A difficult thing to achieve, I will remind you."  
  
Hakuno nods to him. It seemed he didn't like too many people. Or rather, he would say he didn't and then say something to counter it later. He hated Romani, but he liked his prowess about health. He hated bitter coffee, but he needed all the coffee he could get.   
  
A part of her can't help but smile at him. She looks to Arthur and nods at Gilgamesh.   
  
"Gilgamesh is reading about you and Lady Guinevere," she murmurs.   
  
"I am reading lies, that is correct. They gave the fool credit for being guarded by Mordred and an unnamed mage when you went across the channel after that rumor about Lucius being alive. Can you believe that? You and I both know that was when Merlin turned me into..."   
  
He pauses.   
  
"Gil?" Hakuno frowns. "What do you mean? What did Merlin turn you into?"   
  
"It is nothing," Gilgamesh shakes his head. "These stories are like comical twists of the truth. Your time has butchered these stories. Also, I find they've given that Roman mongrel too much credit. His face had warts at times and his features were like a wrinkled shrew that some poor surgeon had pulled all the excess flabs of skin back from his face and stapled out of his way. He was repugnant."  
  
That sounded gross, but it's the way he says it. Again, there's a lilt to his voice. He almost sounds like he's the one from Camelot at times.   
  
"You're giving me a headache thinking about him," Arthur complains.  
  
"You should have something to drink."   
  
"Maybe put the books down and help me get a proper drink then."  
  
Gilgamesh doesn't even move, simply returning to his reading. His eyes are running over the words, the small smirk saying he's having fun.

Hakuno smiles glancing over at Arthur.   
  
"We could go make some hot chocolate when we're done. You might get a little freaked out if I turn my camera on for my laptop. I have both my microphone and camera off right now."  
  
She motions at her laptop, where a man's deep voice is coming from it. Going on about magical techniques from the sound of it.  
  
"My teachers' protege also had a lot of bad things done to her. They tried to bring you back to life through her, Arthur. She can use your holy spear, and she has Sir Kay's spirit trapped in a box."  
  
She scoots a little closer to Arthur, looking up at his green eyes.  
  
"Do you love Guinevere, Arthur?" Gilgamesh says he doesn't, but he'd rather hear the answer from Arthur himself.

"Do I- Good heavens, no!" Arthur shakes his head at her. "I would never. She loves Lancelot. I'm not going to stand in between the two of them either. She adores him with every fiber of her being and we both came to the agreement that she could stay with him long ago. I wouldn't dare love her."  
  
Besides, she had a bad tendency of getting feral at times if things were going south. Their child, Galahad...  
  
"Holy- Gilgamesh! Galahad-"  
  
"I already know," Gilgamesh tells him. "It was what we saw when we looked at her earlier. It was obvious."

"Galahad?" Hakuno asks, looking in between the two men. "What about Sir Galahad?"  
  
That makes her feel a little better though that he doesn't love Guinevere. It sounds horrible, but there's a part of her that wants him to only look at her and Gilgamesh.  
  
 _She doesn't know that Mash has Galahad helping her, Gilgamesh?_ Arthur sends his way.  
  
 _I doubt it. She probably has no idea what has all been going on in this place. She thought her circuits were donated instead of dug up._ Gilgamesh replies not looking up from the book he's reading.

She hadn't known that her circuits were dug up? Arthur frowns more, trying to think. It's only after a moment or two that he notes Hakuno snapping her fingers in front of his face.  
  
"You and Gil both do that. It's like you're lost in thought really deeply. What's going on with Sir Galahad? Do you think he's working with Solomon or something?"

Arthur shakes his head. "Sorry, Hakuno I was just was remembering something." He confesses smiling at her.   
  
"I was just thinking Mash looks like Galahad. She makes me remember old times, that's all."  
  
Working with Solomon... Galahad would never. Hell, the boy would call him out if ever strayed from the knights' path. He can't imagine Galahad would ever betray humanity.

"Oh..."   
  
She still doesn't know what to think about their getting distracted. It feels like there's something off about it. She glances at Gilgamesh, who seems to be smirking about something.  
  
"Did you find something amusing? I like the tale of Gawain and the green giant." Hakuno moves to look, her hands pulling at his only to find him looking at not writing but- "NO! NO NO!"  
  
She tugs at the book, trying to pull it from his hands, but Gilgamesh laughs, pulling it away.   
  
"Oh no. I am quite amused by the side by side artwork, Hakuno. The tag-team duo of Gilgamesh and Arthur versus aliens is quite funny."

Hakuno feels her face burning as she tries to get the book back from Gilgamesh.   
  
"I-Its nothing! Just forget you ever saw that!"  
  
They can't find the self-insert stories she's written about them and her in that notebook either. She'll die from embarrassment.   
  
"It's adorable, Hakuno." Arthur tells her, "I'm happy that you think of us so deeply."

"Oh, you need to see the picture I found on the other page," Gilgamesh coos, turning back the pages and avoiding Hakuno's grabby hands. "Arthur, I do believe this little fool has fallen for us before we were even summoned. I particularly enjoy the array of colors around the image. Clearly, there was help given to our master on this."  
  
It had looked like someone had gotten to her art, but now he has a suspicion that someone had drawn the line art for a young Hakuno, judging by Hakuno's glistening eyes and her desperation for grabbing the book. He pulls the folded paper out though, reaching over Hakuno's reach to give it to Arthur.

Arthur smiles, unfolding the paper and reading over the Japanese characters for a moment. It looks like this was quite recently written. Considering how she's writing about them marrying her, and then taking her to their bed and cuddling with them all night. The small drawing below the writing shows Arthur and Gilgamesh in nice suits and Hakuno herself in a wedding dress it looks like.  
  
"Hakuno," Arthur calls, "You want to marry us? You don't have to write stories about us now. You have your two kings right in front of you."

"STOP!"   
  
Hakuno can feel the tears running down her face now. She pulls the paper back into her hands, stealing her book back from Gilgamesh and holding them close.   
  
"You guys are the worst! I-I was young a-and I d-didn't know what I was ask-king for in just thinking about m-marrying people w-without knowing them!"   
  
Gilgamesh is laughing harder, laughing a split second before Hakuno finds herself pulled closer.  
  
The man leans in closer.  
  
"There is nothing wrong with admitting that you desire something."

She sniffles, her heart is racing as his face leans closer to her own. She can feel Arthur's arms wrap around her from behind.  
  
"I-I just wa-ant to be next to you both." She tells them, holding the book as close as she can to her chest, as she tries to calm down. "That's all. I want to be as close with you two as I possibly can be." She wants more than that, but she's sure these two kings will tease her if she says anything more.

"You're still a child," Gilgamesh murmurs. He flicks at her forehead before pulling Arthur's arms off of her. "You should enjoy the last year that you have of youth. Chase things that amuse you, take pride in helping those around here that you deem worthy; adulthood comes at a price and comes too quickly."   
  
He moves to steal back the book, opening it and flipping through pages again.   
  
"Now allow me to finish the blasphemous tales of King Artha-fake and his knights of False-alot."

"But you and Arthur are the only things I really enjoy," Hakuno mutters, letting Gilgamesh keep reading as she turns her attention to Arthur for a moment.   
  
"Reading about you and Gil have kept me happy while I've been here. I have an okay life here but my father-"  
  
Well, they don't need to hear about that. She shakes her head. Turning her eyes back to her coursework she picks up her pen and begins to go back to work.

_I'm going to kiss her._  
  
Gilgamesh pauses, staring off at the white of the page of the book he's reading.  
  
 _She's been lonely. She's needed family and friends like she had with Kiritsugu. You remember before. She had a sense of purpose and she had her world around her. Here she's only been able to dream. It isn't right, Gil-_  
  
"Do what you deem best," Gilgamesh tells her simply. He opens the gates and hands her a chocolate truffle. "There's no point in dreaming when you can do far more than any human being."

Hakuno looks down at the truffle before looking up at Gilgamesh. He's been so nice to her, they both have.  
  
"Thank you, Gil. You and Arthur are so kind." She tells him honestly, unwrapping the truffle, taking a bite, and offering the other half to Arthur.  
  
"You should eat with me, Arthur. You've been taking good care of me too. I'm going to do the same thing for you."  
  
Gilgamesh snorts.   
  
_Our little mage is so fond of us, Husband. You should see the way she's looking at you right now. I can see why you find it so hard not to kiss her._

Arthur smiles a little, pressing his lips to her forehead before he takes a bite of her truffle. "These are really good. I'm still getting used to the gates of Babylon so I tend to leave finding things specific like this to Gilgamesh."  
  
"Oh?" Hakuno smiles a little. "How long have you and Gilgamesh been servants together?"  
  
How long had they...  
  
Arthur glances at Gilgamesh, finding the man looking up from his reading. How long had they been together?   
  
There had been their first war, the terror of finding that they were stuck in one another's minds. The second- where they had tried to separate. The third- where the two of them had found themselves trying to agree, their own panic sinking in.   
  
How long had they been together, conforming their traditions and habits? Gilgamesh's attire had become something he'd found himself becoming accustomed to. Gilgamesh had found himself spouting more and more terms from Camelot, his old fashioned vocab becoming worse at times when he wasn't watching it.   
  
"Arthur?"  
  
"It's been a while," Arthur tells Hakuno simply. "I wouldn't worry about it if I were you."

"Oh," Hakuno replies, finishing off her truffle.   
  
"You both seem close together. You work very well as a team too."   
  
Even if they did seem like opposite personalities. Gilgamesh liked to talk, and Arthur was quieter for one.   
  
"I think we all balance each other out well. You both makeup for the qualities I lack."   
  
She can't help but see the small smile on Gilgamesh's face.

"You probably like having Arthur around too," Hakuno offers. "It's probably easier to have someone with you. You both probably were very close to one another to be able to stay together, huh?"  
  
Gilgamesh continued to look through the book, opting to not respond to that.   
  
"So," Arthur moved a bit closer. "What's all this mean? I haven't done much studying of magecraft. I know Gil and I had an elder daughter who studied magecraft, but this looks a little interesting."

"You have a daughter that's a mage, Arthur?" That shouldn't be too surprising considering she's read in some stories Arthur had daughters too besides Mordred.   
  
"Er. The class I'm taking today is more of my dad's expertise, but we're learning about the founders of western magecraft. Merlin, Skadi, and Morgana." They're really interesting people.   
  
"Morgana was the founder of witchcraft in the west. There are covens dedicated to Morgana in America."

"Great," Arthur replies, rolling his eyes.   
  
"Arthur and Morgana aren't fond of one another... which is true even in these books," Gilgamesh tells them both. "You have a child with Morgana according to these books, Arthur."  
  
He can feel his stomach churn at the thought.   
  
Great. Just great.

"I'm guessing that's not true either," Hakuno says to Arthur.   
  
Maybe she shouldn't mention Morgana around Arthur so much.  
  
"I have textbooks that were said to be written by Merlin, but no one knows if that's true or not if you'd ever like to see them, Arthur." She tells him before continuing. "Most of my course work is focusing on following in my dad's footsteps, learning about Celestial bodies and such. My father's department is interested in bringing back to the age of the gods."

"I could take a look at them later, but I'll be honest- The age of gods is nothing you want to go back to." Arthur shakes his head. "As someone who was around during an age where gods were still alive and well, I found that the countries that had gods were considered dangerous. You never knew what was going to happen. The gods were capable of demanding heinous, unforgivable things on people."  
  
"The gods were useless," Gilgamesh chimes in. "No point on dwelling on anything other than that. They were senseless in their actions and useless to those who needed them most. Your study of celestial bodies is probably mostly useful for weather."  
  
"Gil," Arthur narrows his gaze, but the man shrugs and continues to read.  
  
"I don't find my studies useful right now, but that's because my circuits... or I guess her circuits, are still opening and growing accustomed to this body." Hakuno looks at her hands, trying to think of a way that she could make the fact that she had their wife's circuits more acceptable. She couldn't say she didn't want them, since she could do magecraft.   
  
Before these had been in her, there wouldn't have been a smile and laugh. She never would have managed to get these two. There would have been hours of staring at ceiling tiles, prayers to unnamed gods, and to anyone who would listen for help; her father would have come by to tell her to be better.  
  
"They are yours," Arthur points out, his hands covering hers as one of his arms wrap around her waist. His fingers rub at her wrists and hands. "However they came to be here, they're here. We just ask that you take good care of them and follow your own path. You're more than just a mage, Hakuno. You're a good person too."

Is she? She isn't sure that she's a good person at all.  
  
"You're just saying that," Hakuno replies weakly, but enjoying the feeling of Arthur pressed against her. "I'm quite selfish at times. Like right now, for example, I want to toss my coursework in the trash and cuddle with you both more. I want to hide away in here with the two of you. If my mana was stronger, I'd run away with you both if there were any life outside left." She admits.   
  
"But I can't. I have to help defeat Solomon, and become stronger so that I can provide you both with mana so that you can stay with me after everything is done here."

"Then let's focus on the work. We can be selfish later."   
  
Arthur moves to hold her a little more, his eyes going to the book Gil has again. He waits a moment, letting Hakuno adjust once more into working on her studies before he closes his eyes.  
  
 _Read to me, Gil.  
  
Absolutely not.  
  
You're reading the materials. If you read aloud in your head, I would be able to learn more blasphemy and know what Hakuno thinks I have done. _  
  
The world is quiet for a moment. He almost starts to doubt that the man will read, but then there's noise. The gentle sound of Gilgamesh's voice begins in his head, telling the tale of him venturing after a grail.


	12. Lack of Personality

Hakuno isn't sure how long she stays like this, just comfortable in Arthur's arms while she finishes up her coursework. Gudako is lucky she doesn't have to do any of this, since she was just picked up off the streets in Hokkaido, upon being told that she had the capacity to be a mage.  
  
She glances over at Gilgamesh reading peacefully, while Arthur just holds her without any complaints.   
  
...This is too nice. She might want to do this every day if she isn't careful. Part of her can't help but wonder if they're only being so nice to her because she has their wifes circuits.   
  
She'll consult with Romani about that later. Next time she is alone with the doctor.   
  
"I think I'm done for the day," Hakuno mutters, stuffing the papers inside her textbook before closing it. "We have free time now. We can rest here, or we can go explore for a bit."

"You're supposed to be on bed rest like Gudako," Gilgamesh complains. "You're not going anywhere."

"Then we can get to know one another better." Hakuno points out. "I know that Arthur likes to be a handyman, and likes to cook, but what do you like to do besides fight, Gilgamesh?" He never answered her question earlier, instead redirecting the question to herself.

Gilgamesh glances at her a moment before he simply returns his attention to his book. "There are no words that need to be spoken about me. I am king Gilgamesh. My interests are my own. My hobbies are much the same. I have no need to talk about my grandeur."   
  
Arthur can feel himself groaning.   
  
"Okay, but you must have something that is a passion of yours. You don't have anything you want to boast about for yourself?" She moves a little closer, leaning against the man.   
  
"I have no desire to seek praise for anything."  
  
"Nothing?"   
  
"Gilgamesh has a talent for making anything look far better than it should be otherwise," Arthur offers. "Strategy and technology are two strong suits as well. He can put together a computer out of a few wires and spit."  
  
"That is untrue. You know nothing about electronics if you believe that," Gilgamesh complains.  
  
"You created a tech empire, Gil."  
  
He shrugs.

A tech empire?  
  
"Oh, so you like technology, Gil?" Hakuno asks. "Maybe me and you can take a look at my laptop sometime. It runs so slow..." She complains.   
  
"Gil could probably fix it in under an hour, Master." Arthur points out.  
  
"Really?"   
  
"I think so, unless, of course, Gilgamesh has lost his touch at fixing computers in his time of being a Servant." Arthur teases, holding Hakuno closer to himself.

"If that is your best attempt at goading me into fixing her laptop, then you have lost your touch, Arammu." Gilgamesh glances over at him. _Remember she is not an adult, Arthur. Don't get ideas.  
_  
 _I'm not,_ Arthur argues. H _umor her a little. She wants to know you. You'd think you'd leap at the chance to show off and have her going soft-eyed and sweet on you.  
_  
 _To what end? She is still young. I will go after her when I can do so without the entire building threatening to burn me. I signed a document, you fool._

_A document?_ Arthur sends his way. _What document did you sign, Gil?  
  
A document saying that I would not cause trouble here in this place. You and David will have to do the same once our Hebrew friend gets you alone.  
  
_Arthur frowns at that. He's not sure if he likes that idea or not. _They are treating us like weapons.  
  
We __**are**_ _weapons, you fool._ Gilgamesh argues _. This is why there is no point in letting Hakuno get too close until she is of age._

"Arthur?" Hakuno looks up at him, noting his frown. "...It's not that important to have my laptop fixed. Don't get that upset with Gil."  
  
"His thoughts are elsewhere, Hakuno. Leave him be."  
  
"You can't know for sure." Hakuno throws him a look before leaning up and pressing her lips to his cheek. "I swear, it's fine. You are very helpful already. I don't think anyone in Chaldea expected servants to help this much."

Gilgamesh isn't so sure about that last part of her statement given what he read about the experiments done on both her and Mash. Marisbury knew exactly how strong Heroic Spirits are and was counting on that.   
  
He has a feeling the Hebrew knew as well.   
  
"Regardless if we are helpful or not, that does not change the fact that you need rest. You should be focusing on recovering your mana, rather than playing twenty questions with myself and Arthur."

"..Can you both ask me questions or tell me stories then? I just- I feel like I'm sharing my mana and myself with you both so much and I want to be so close, but everyone here is treating me like a baby and is holding me away from you."   
  
She slips beneath Gil's book, wrapping her arms around him. Her eyes meet his.   
  
"I-I like you." She shakes her head. "I know I'm supposed to keep distance and be focused on fighting, but I don't think I can just stand by your side without holding your hand or doing my best to protect you."  
  
"That is rather weak for a master-"  
  
"Gil!" Arthur growls, but Hakuno shakes her head.  
  
"He's right, Arthur. I'm not being a strong master, but I'm going to get really strong. These mana circuits belonged to your wife. She was a goddess. That means that I have all the tools at my disposal to be strong for you both... I'm not going to insult the one you loved by being weak. I'll grow stronger and do my best. You'll find me to be the best master you've ever had."

"You can get stronger by resting and recovering your mana," Gilgamesh argues, looking down at his small Master, before flicking her forehead again.   
  
"You are the baby mage around here. You are young and naive about the way the world truly is. That is not entirely your fault however."  
  
"Gilgamesh" Arthur hisses outloud. The man is being too cruel to her, she's going to end up thinking that he doesn't like her at this rate.   
  
_I am being blunt with her. I will not coddle her, Arthur. That is your job._

"I'll recover by having you both with me. And I'm almost an adult. Give me a few months and I'll be old enough to be able to enter a political marriage if I want."   
  
That was what adult mages did if they were in high ranking families, they got married and powered their families up higher.   
  
It was a sign of adulthood... but maybe she should have said something different. The two servants are staring at her, both of them looking like they'd been hit or something. She glances between them, blushing a little as they remain quiet.   
  
"D-Did I say something wrong?"

"....Did your father already have someone in mind, Hakuno?" Arthur asks. He'll go find the idiot and kill him himself. But Hakuno's father already had to have someone in mind, otherwise, she wouldn't have threatened such a thing.   
  
"Political marriages aren't always what they seem, Hakuno. Just ask Princess there. He can tell you the headache he went though during his engagement." Gilgamesh tells her simply. The girl is trying to act tough, but in doing so she's showing her immaturity and naivety.   
  
He misses his wife. He should've praised Kiritsugu for raising her properly more when he was alive.

"I-I am not engaged or anything. I was just saying that I am almost an adult! What else would an adult do anyway? All there is for adults is magecraft mastery and political marriages or marriages for the sake of heirs."  
  
The explanation is so sad. He's not even sure she realizes how pathetic that sounds. Gil closes the book he is reading and finds Arthur shaking his head.  
  
"There is a lot more than adulthood than that. You can travel, make friends, make mistakes, and learn how to stand properly on your own two feet; there's also the chance to build your own world around you. You don't have to limit yourself like that."   
  
The yawn that escapes him is unavoidable, but it does make Hakuno and Arthur look his way. He gives a shrug, curling up beneath the bedsheets.   
  
"Mages have no life. As I had suspected for a while. You've been drained of personality."

"I have personality!" Hakuno tries to argue, but Gilgamesh isn't listening, instead pulling up the blanket more over him, causing her to pout a bit.   
  
"All of that stuff he mentioned might await a normal human but... But not me. Especially not with my father and his birth daughter dead, and his protege missing. I'll probably have to inherit his Lord title at the Clock Tower." She explains.  
  
"I don't even have any big dreams like Gudako or anything like that," Hakuno admits, shaking her head, glancing over at Arthur. "All I know is magecraft." She'll become stronger so that they can at least rely on her. Even if they think she's a little dull

"You have plenty of personality, Hakuno," Arthur argues.  
  
"You don't," Gilgamesh argues. "You won't ever have one if you simply follow others around like a mere child. The Hakuno that drew in those books was far more interesting since she was opting to create her own destiny and create her own dreams. The mage that takes that noble's title has little future, as you've admitted yourself."  
  
"Gil-"  
  
Hakuno stops him, frowning.   
  
It's not really like that. The man is wrong. A noble can do a great deal of things. They are masters of their craft and they can teach children they have and... And...   
  
She frowns more, looking at her notes and the room.  
  
"...I don't know what else I can do," Hakuno confesses. "Mages are the noblest of goals for a human being. There's nothing better for a mage than to be a noble and to learn and master their art."

"As I said you have no personality," Gilgamesh replies.   
  
"You can do whatever you want to do, Hakuno you can go to-" Arthur starts but is cut off by Hakuno.  
  
"No, I can't!" Hakuno argues, clinging to her blankets tightly, "Not everyone was destined to be King, or was given swords by a lady in a lake! Some people were brought into a family that never loved them, and kept them from the outside world, and refused to even be let outside to go to their home country! Not everyone is afforded the same life that you both had!"   
  
She brings the covers over her head, as she hugs herself. She shouldn't have said that. That was mean.

Gilgamesh glances over his shoulder, raising a brow at them for a moment before he moves to roll over.  
  
"If you truly believed that, then you are a disappointment."  
  
"Gil," Arthur roars. "Can you shut up!"   
  
_Let me speak_ , Gil growls mentally his way. _I have never failed to make someone see reason. If you want to coddle, at least stay silent and lick the wounds after I have seen them treated._  
  
"Hakuno," Gilgamesh goes on, speaking aloud as he dips beneath the covers. "If you believed that you want nothing more than to be a mage and a noble, then you would have simply called the mages the moment you learned that mongrel was dead. You would have felt nothing if you had a dead woman's mana circuits despite if she were a queen or a peasant."

Even if that was true, she still doesn't know what to do after she leaves Chaldea. She's never even thought about it before.   
  
"You make things sound so easy, Gil," Hakuno whispers, meeting those red eyes of his. "I have no power, no family to return to. I want to become strong, but I've never even thought about what to do once I leave Chaldea." She'd like to run away with them if she's being honest.   
  
"The only thing I've ever thought about doing is taking you and Arthur and running away to Japan."

"So we are useless then? Is that what you're saying?"  
  
Arthur rolls his eyes, glancing at the books nearby. His hands reach out, letting the ones on Gil fall into the gates and then into his hands. There's a moment of a smile as he finds it working.  
  
It'd taken so long to get that to work.   
  
"I'm not saying you're useless. I'm saying that I don't have anything I can do-"  
  
"So you're not our Master?" Gilgamesh argues.  
  
 _Ease down, Gil,_ Arthur warns.  
  
"I am your Master-"  
  
"So you do have power then. You can do something." Gilgamesh counters.   
  
"Just stop," Hakuno complains. "I am telling you that I have been here my whole life and I don't know what to do or what to say or anything! I have never even been around a man before you two!"  
  
"You were around Hebrew," Gilgamesh points out.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Doctor Hebrew."  
  
"...You mean Romani? Yes, but that's different."

"I tire of this," Gilgamesh complains. "Either realize that you have more power than you believe, or simply continue following mages like a child. Just know this: I will not obey a Master that cannot make her own decisions." He warns.  
  
"That's not what I'm saying, Gil!" Hakuno argues. Dammit, why won't he listen? Things aren't as simple as he's making them out to be.   
  
"Alright, alright. Let us calm down." Arthur tries. He doesn't like where this is going. Gilgamesh or Hakuno are going to say something they don't mean at this rate.  
  
 _Gorgeous, it's only our third day with Hakuno. We have plenty of time to change her way of thinking. Don't be so hard on her,_ Arthur warns.

Gilgamesh is still turning away from her. She can't take it. She moves forward and grabs his hands, trying to stop him from making that face. It's making her chest hurt. She can't help the sniffle that escapes her.  
  
"I'm going to be a great mage, but I am making all my own decisions! You're not listen-"  
  
"Why do you wear the uniform?"  
  
"Huh?" Hakuno stares at him.  
  
"The building uniform. I have seen every single person in this place with the exception of the bossy fool from before wear the uniform for their area and this place."  
  
"I was given them."  
  
"Does it help you in any way?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Do you have a special adoration for it?"  
  
"What? No... Not really."  
  
"So you wear it-"  
  
Hakuno groans. "I don't have a lot of options!"  
  
"And have you asked? About options?"   
  
"...No-"  
  
 _Gil..._  
  
Gilgamesh turns, staring at her. "You accept what's placed before you like a mouse in a maze. You don't ask questions. You don't seek out more information. You've accepted what's in front of you."

“Y-You don't know what it's been like living here." Hakuno tries to argue. He wouldn't understand. "If I asked questions before, I would've been killed."   
  
She shakes her head.   
  
"I can try to talk to Romani about what to do after everything is done here," Hakuno promises. "He's the closest thing I have to a family. I-I'm trying to explain that I don't have as many options as you think."   
  
She grips his hands tightly, refusing to let go. She's sure he'll leave her if she lets go.   
  
"Before you and Arthur came along, I had no desire to live or die. I wanted to disappear. N-Now I just want to protect you and keep you both by my side. I would do anything to keep you and Arthur here."  
  
She doesn't know what he wants her to say. She's trying her best. She doesn't understand.

"You don't have to ask Romani if you don't want to," Arthur argues. "What Gilgamesh is trying to say-"  
  
"I'm being plain, Teacup."  
  
"-Is that he doesn't want you to let others influence what you want to do. He doesn't want to follow someone who simply allows herself to be mowed down and groomed into doing what others want."  
  
 _You've watered down my required self think for her._ Gilgamesh rolls his eyes. _Instead of allowing her to think and learn, you've summed up the whole internal debate and now she will only think with the critical thinking that she has now._  
  
 _Not everyone needs the self-reflection you gave our triplets growing up,_ Arthur growls his way.  
  
"I-I won't let myself be messed with," Hakuno promises. "I haven't had options before, but I have more now. I-I'll do my best. You'll see." She smiles a little. Or rather, she tries to smile. It's plain to see that she's still fretting about Gilgamesh.

_She thinks that she has upset you, Gilgamesh._ Arthur thinks his way. _All these years and she still makes that same face when she's upset.  
_  
"Hakuno, Gilgamesh isn't upset with you," Arthur tells her. "He is just worried about you. Gilgamesh is just bad about saying what he feels."  
  
"Do not speak for me, Princess," Gilgamesh growls. "I don't need you speaking for me. I am not our Master that needs other people to speak for her."  
  
 _Gilgamesh!_ Arthur hisses. He's being an asshole right now. He's not understanding that she has led a much different life than their wife. It isn't fair to hold her to the same standards as their Hakuno.

Still, he finds that Hakuno holds up a hand, moving to lean over Gilgamesh. She leans against the man's side, careful not to lean too much.   
  
"You can help me, can't you, Gil? You said that I was supposed to enjoy myself and take pleasure in things. Now you say I'm supposed to ask questions and find options. I'm not good at knowing about options if I've never seen options before. I liked the clothes you gave me. I like my hair being like this too. It's softer, more like yours and Arthur's. If you could help me, I feel like I could create my own dreams and hopes. I really, really want to see the world."  
  
In her dream, the place she'd been in had been hers. Things had been scary and she hadn't known what all to do while somehow bringing babies into the world, but the room around her had been her own... it'd been not made of metal either. The window had even looked like it opened.  
  
"Can you and Arthur help me see the world and help my friends here?"

Damn it all. He can't say no to her when she's looking like a sad squirrel with those eyes of hers.   
  
He was always weak to those pleading eyes.   
  
"I have told you that I would stay by your side, haven't I? Then that is what I will do so long as you don't act foolishly." Gilgamesh replies simply.   
  
"Learn how to think on your own in exchange for my help. You are not a robot. You are human. Humans are supposed to dream and struggle with all their might, not accept what's in front of them at face value."   
  
He leans his face into hers, staring at her for a moment before pinching her nose.   
  
"Now rest. Sleep against Arthur and myself."

"Dang it! I don't need the nose pinch!"   
  
Hakuno pulls back a moment before she finds herself looking at him. He had said to think for herself and struggle, so...   
  
She leans in, pressing her lips to his. Her hands hold onto his shoulder as she does, doing her best to make this first kiss the best. He'd said that she should think for herself. Here she was, kissing him with that freedom of choice he'd demanded of her.

What a fool. Kissing him so desperately, as if attempting to prove something to him.   
  
He closes his eyes, and kisses her back just enough to be satisfied, before pulling back, looking into those honey-colored eyes. He can't go too far with her, not yet.  
  
"You are lucky that I am an understanding man," Gilgamesh tells her, glancing over at Arthur who has a surprised look on his face. "You shouldn't kiss any man like that. Not while you're so young."  
  
He shrugs.   
  
"Now go kiss your other Servant before he whines to me about it for the next week."   
  
He doesn't want her to. He had stolen her first kiss again. If this was when they were still alive. He'd gloat about it to Arthur.

"You don't have to be understanding," Hakuno grins, giving the man a quick second kiss. "I made a decision for myself, based on options I thought would exist."   
  
She kisses Arthur quickly, doing her best to be confident about it.  
  
Kissing them both is so awkward though. The green eyes gleam a little, watching her as she pulls back.   
  
"I-I can make decisions for myself. Just like that."

Gilgamesh laughs. She's so naive, it's almost adorable. Almost.   
  
"Then keep doing so. That is what an adult does, Hakuno. They make decisions on their own."   
  
Arthur nods, wanting to pull her closer to him, steal the attention she's giving Gilgamesh, but he holds himself back just barely.  
  
"Gilgamesh is correct. You should live how you want to live. Not how others want you to live, Master."

"I'm going to do my best."   
  
She glances between them, thinking a moment before she pulls the blankets over her head and shuts her eyes. This'll be great. She'll do more tomorrow after she turns in her paperwork and-  
  
"Oh no! My paper!"   
  
Hakuno pushes out of Gil and Arthur's arms, grabbing her laptop and turning it back on.   
  
Gil's snickering a little before she feels him moving behind her, slipping beside Arthur and going back to sleep.

Hakuno smiles, watching them curl up and go to sleep. They're so close. They seem to almost sense what the other thinks and means. They had said they'd been together for a while, it must have been quite a while, judging by their behavior.   
  
They're so cute.   
  
Hakuno glances at her computer, sighing at how long it's taking.


	13. The King of Uruk Versus BB Tech

Romani sighs as he looks at the data for Hakuno's Servants. It doesn't make sense. The king of Uruk and the king of Camelot were from two completely different time periods. Gilgamesh had kick-started the end for the Age of Gods, by disavowing the gods and forcing them to become Divine Spirits, while Arthur ended the Age of Gods with his death.  
  
But yet they're basically conjoined to the hip. It's confusing for sure.  
  
They're draining Hakuno's mana fast too. It's a little wonder how she's up moving around right now, even with the circuits from that woman.  
  
At least Gudako's mana is recovering quickly. That could be because she has a less than helpful Servant though. He's been avoiding talking to the man on purpose. It's bad enough David is here. The last thing he needs is for Gudako to summon Sheba, or Moses next. Moses will sense his True Name before anyone else.  
  
He glances over at Da Vinci.  
  
"There is truly no other suitable Master candidates is there?"

"If there were, we wouldn't be having this conversation," Da Vinci replies. "I need to have Hakuno practice some methods of increasing her mana. As much as I don't want to recommend it, there are a couple of ways she could fix this problem of hers."  
  
"Absolutely not."  
  
"Hakuno will either need to get a little intimate with those servants of hers or we'll need to force open her circuits. I don't think she can handle the force."

"I don't like either of those ideas," Romani admits, frowning. Those two men are too eager to take advantage of her. The only praise that he can give them is that they protected both Hakuno and Gudako with that overpowered Noble Phantasm of theirs.  
  
"Hakuno has never even kissed a man before, Da Vinci." Romani explains. "No one has ever given her the sex talk either." That was his fault but...  
  
They have no other options, do they? He doesn't want to perform another surgery on Hakuno. The poor girl has been through enough.  
  


"Let's think about it a little. She's resting today. Her servants aren't using their energy and draining her greatly right now. I'll have the room next to hers filled with Mana prisms to help alleviate the stress, but we need to do something more."

They do need to do something more, and he hates it. Should another singularity appear, they need Hakuno to be able to at least allow the two troublemakers to use their Noble Phantasms.  
  
"I don't trust them too much, Da Vinci," Romani admits, running a hand through his hair. "Those two would be all too happy to take Hakuno into another Singularity, and refuse to return."

We have two masters. If she gets out of hand, Gudako will have to react. It would have been the same for Team A. Krischtaria was prepared for that. Since we know that Hakuno is going to be the weaker mage and since we know Mash is working alongside Gudako as her servant, we'll need her to take charge."

"I don't think we have to worry about her getting out of hand," Romani replies softly. Hakuno is a good girl, she wouldn't betray them. "But, you're right. It might be good for Gudako to take charge. We'll have to explain that to her when we can."

"Hakuno will be best as support. I've looked through her servants' information. They should be at one another's throats. Something is wrong with them both."  
  
She pauses a little.  
  
"However," Da Vinci smiles a little, "Since they are getting along and since Hakuno is wanting to be a master that badly, then let's see what we can do to help. You do know that Arthur fixed the plumbing right?"

Romani stops just as he's about to take a sip of his coffee, glancing at Da Vinci.  
  
"No way." She's got to be mistaken. _Arthur Pendragon? The dragon of Britain fixed their plumbing?_ There is no way a king would know how to do something that trivial.  
  
"You joke too much, Da Vinci."

"Nope. Arthur Pendragon is a plumbing guru." Da Vinci smiles a little more, sipping her coffee. "The man directed our whole team on how to fix the pipes and how to recover the pipes that were in bad shape from the explosion. The man's job is better than half of the professionals we've brought to Chaldea…"

"The next thing you're going to tell me is that King Gilgamesh is going to fix our communications." Romani shakes his head at that thought.  
  
Perhaps if Hakuno is taming them in such a manner, they can stay. Well, he doesn't really have a choice in the matter. Gilgamesh and Arthur must stay. Gudako is too weak to summon another Servant right now, and those two demons would murder him in his sleep if he had Hakuno try to get another Servant using some Saint Quartz.  
  
He'll just have to sit down and talk to Hakuno about the dangers of falling for someone that cannot stay around in their world. She'll end up heartbroken if she ends up falling in love with her Servants.

"It won't be that bad," Da Vinci argues, patting his back. "Let's give the two servants a few days. If they turn out to drain Hakuno too much, then we aren't going to let them get close and work to build one another's mana. We'll have them burned and Hakuno can just support Gudako and Mash."  
  
They don't need to risk her health any further than that. Hakuno is weak. The girl shouldn't have even been capable of magecraft, from what she'd seen of earlier reports.

Romani nods. "I'll see how Hakuno is faring at the end of the week. If her mana is still not returning to normal, then we'll have to burn them..." He doesn't like the thought of doing that, but Hakunos health is more important.  
  
"If that happens, I'll need David and Mash's help to hold Hakuno back while we burn them."

"We'll do what's necessary." Da Vinci glances at the coms. "...If the golden king could fix the tech though, that'd be nice. God knows I could use someone around here that doesn't attempt to use a screwdriver as a doorstop."

Romani laughs. "King Gilgamesh fixing tech? Please, all that man knows how to do is take. Which is why I'm so surprised he was summoned with Arthur Pendragon."  
  
He takes a sip of coffee before looking over the Servants' information again.  
  
"Marisbury spent too much time reading to Hakuno about these two."  
“I wonder why though. Marisbury was more interested in the gods, not in a couple of run of the mill kings." It doesn't make much sense to be reading Hakuno so many stories of the two.

"I don't know," Romani admits. "I believe it may have something to do with where her circuits come from. I haven't been entirely honest with you about that, Da Vinci."  
"I don't want to know." Da Vinci shakes her head, moving to stand up. "Get some rest and take a hot shower, Drama Doc. I'll be sipping coffee and taking a long, hot bath if you need me."  
  
Her eyes go to the heart monitors. The no longer illuminated names and the stasis status'd workers leave a nasty stone in the pit of her stomach. So many lost...  
  
"Night, Romani."

"Goodnight, Da Vinci. Get some rest, you've earned it." Romani tells her knowing full well that neither her nor him will be sleeping much tonight.  
  
He'll take one more look at Sheba before going to his room for the night. Watch some old Magi Mari videos to calm down. He won't worry about the two girls with their shady Servants.  
  
At least, that's what he tells himself.

* * *

It's late. Later then he had expected but earlier than he would have liked. Arthur is cradling the woman in his arms. The two of them look lost to the world, dreaming deeply.  
  
Nearby, he can see Hakuno's laptop still open, waiting for her to get her paper done.  
  
His hands pull the thing over, his eyes surveying the fossil. It's a simplistic device. It won't tune up simply because he feels like running his hands over the keys. It won't be more efficient simply because he is who he is.  
  
It leaves little choice.  
  
He moves carefully, carrying the device with him. He heads into the hallway, remaining quiet as he mounts the stairs. Somewhere, there would be a workshop. The place had piping and tools. There would be a tech workroom as well. If not, then he would simply manipulate Hakuno into making it so.

Mash nearly screams when she runs into the golden king as she opens the door to the stairwell. He's the last person she expected to see. She looks over his features, noting the silk black shirt, and dress pants the Servant is wearing. Truthfully, he looks more like a businessman, than a king. An ancient king at that too.  
  
She looks at the laptop, noticing the small stickers on the cover. That's Hakuno's laptop. Why does King Gilgamesh have it?  
  
"Oh, good evening, Ruler. How are you doing this evening? I wasn't expecting you to leave your Masters room. Is there something that you're looking for?"

"Ah, so you are meandering about in the dead of night like an asp." Gilgamesh rolls his eyes at her question, motioning her to the direction he is going. "I am investigating my surroundings. You will take me to the room where those who work on these rooms spend their time."  
  
He holds up the laptop.  
  
"Also, do you have one of these trinkets?"

Mash shakes her head. "I don't have a laptop. Only Hakuno has one for her remote learning. I'm not allowed to have one."  
  
She looks around for a moment deciding where to take him. She'll take him to one of the remaining break rooms, there are tools from where Arthur was working earlier laying around if that's what he's looking for.  
  
"I'll take you to the break room, King Gilgamesh. Please follow me."

"A break room is not what I require. Where is the room where your technical team works? That is where I need to be."  
  
It's best to start there. He can venture out from there, investigate the area, and make a few decisions on his own from there.  
  
The woman before him is far too sweet, far too young. Looking at her now, it's almost too funny to look and see the same expression as Galahad. The boy's always been fond of-  
  
 _Damn you, Arthur.  
_  
Gilgamesh closes his eyes. It seems the other is dreaming deeply, deep enough to affect him in rational decisions again.  
  
"Tech room," Gilgamesh demands, motioning her on. "Just take me there."  
  
He needs a moment to breathe away from the man's influence.

"Oh. Sorry." Mash apologizes. "It's where we were before. The command room is our tech room." Mash explains, leading him back to where they were before.  
  
"The doctor might still be awake. He was going to look at Sheba one more time before he went to sleep." Mash warns. "But um, thank you for the advice earlier, Ruler. Your words meant the world to me."  
  
To be honest, Gilgamesh is intimidating, more so with his hair all spiked up the way it is now. Still, he gave her such good advice earlier. He can't be a bad person.

"Ruler is a pathetic title. It shows neither power nor strength. Do not waste your breath on such words."  
  
The path towards the command room seems to be just as he remembers. They're moving carefully in the halls, with more and more screens appearing as they get closer.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
The doctor is raising his head, glancing to the door as they enter. He can see the monitors lacking screen safeties, the doctor's eyes looking tired as he looks around.  
  
"Do you often practice medical hypocrisy or is this a new habit?" Gilgamesh asked.

Romani is too tired to argue with the man. He instead turns his attention to Mash.  
  
"Mash, you should get some rest. It's late."  
  
The girl nods. "I was just about to do that, Doctor, when Gilgamesh needed my help getting back to here," Mash explains. "Goodnight Doctor, Gilgamesh."  
  
Romani waits until the girl leaves before speaking again. "I did not expect to see you leave Hakuno's side willingly." Romani yawns, as he checks the screens again. Nothing unusual, but it can't hurt to stay awake for a few more minutes.

"I am not attached to purse strings, mongrel. Do not think to speak to me so poorly either." Gilgamesh glances at the room, taking a seat near the doctor and looking at the table he finds himself at.  
  
The table's contents are pathetic. These are old things. The options aren't many, but he can do a few things.  
  
"I need another of these useless fossils," Gilgamesh tells Romani, motioning to the laptop. "I don't care if it looks as poorly as this or not. Find one."

Romani raises a brow before looking down at the laptop he's holding in his arms. That's Hakuno's laptop he's holding. What in the world is he doing with that...?  
  
He shrugs, rolling his chair over nearby and grabbing one of the older laptops before handing it to the man.  
  
"I don't know what you're doing, but be careful. Hakuno needs that to do her coursework." Romani tells Gilgamesh. "It's the only way she has to surf the internet as well."

"Surf the internet? Good God...s..."  
  
He winces at the words out of his mouth. He can practically feel the fool's senses on the edges of his own.  
  
 _I can feel you there, King Arthur of Britain.  
  
You left our room. What are you doing up so early?  
_  
Gilgamesh rolls his eyes, taking the screwdriver and slowly removing screw after screw from the bottom of Hakuno's laptop. The chip determining the speed and power of her computer is the first thing he sees. The second is the branding.  
  
"BB Tech."  
  
"It's a brand from around the Clock Tower," Romani tells him. "Be careful. Hakuno has to do her work. I told you that- HEY!"  
  
Gilgamesh pulls the thing out, tossing the garbage where it belongs.  
  
"I want every single device sporting BB Tech before me in the next ten minutes. Right down to the nail in the floorboards."  
  
Gilgamesh closes his eyes, keeping his mind carefully blank.

"You're being ridiculous!" Romani squawks, glaring at the man. "If I brought you ever piece of BB tech in Chaldea, we couldn't operate! BB tech helps supply the mana around here too, Gilgamesh!"  
  
The man is too much. How is Hakuno keeping him subdued?!  
  
 _Gilgamesh?_ Arthur calls. _Is everything alright? Do I need to come look for you?_

 _I am fine._ Gilgamesh looks to the motherboard nearby, frowning as he goes over and dips beneath the desk. A few screw adjustments and he's staring at the cube logo with the double B insignia.  
  
"Doctor, I hope you've slept. We have work ahead of us. I need you to get a flashlight, the welding rod, and we're going to want some coffee."

Romani groans. He's barely slept the past two days. This man isn't going to let him sleep it seems.  
  
"What is your problem with BB Tech?" Romani asks, standing up. "They're a good brand. The Clock Tower relies on them quite a bit." He shrugs, hoping the man has a plan to replace their tech with. Otherwise, this is a big waste of time. "I will go get us some coffee."

"Don't dally with the coffee."  
  
His hands are pulling piece by piece out, noting the various wires and motherboard he so soon gets to. The machine is down, but he won't leave it. He won't be seeing Hakuno and Arthur for a while. as disappointing as that may be, he has to handle this.


	14. Falling for Legendary King Arthur, and His Pancakes

Hakuno stirs against Arthur, thankful for no strange dreams for tonight. She looks up to see the man reading the same book as Gilgamesh was earlier. Those eyes shining brightly in the dim room. He looks so ethereal this way.   
  
But she notices that the bed feels lighter, she looks over to her left only to not see the demi-god or her laptop beside her.   
  
"Where did Gilgamesh go, Arthur?" She mutters. Did he go to get her laptop fixed?

"He's gone to probably get breakfast for us or something." He waits, trying to hear what Gilgamesh is thinking. There's a sound hum, the Camelot hymn ringing in his ears as he tries to listen more carefully.   
  
Gilgamesh is pointedly ignoring him.   
  
"Hakuno," Arthur moves a bit closer. "Do you mind giving me a little more mana?"

"I don't mind," Hakuno tells him, her heart skipping a beat at his face leans in close to hers. "Um, I really don't know how to do that though. Y-You'll have to tell me, if you don't mind."  
She should've asked Romani about that earlier, but truth be told a lot has happened. It slipped her mind.

"Just a kiss, like you did before is fine. I'll do the work," Arthur promises, wrapping an arm around her waist. He wouldn't be doing this if Gilgamesh would just stop trying to distract him from what he's thinking about. He definitely wasn't thinking about kissing the woman at all.  
  
Her lips were soft, gentle. Arthur can't help but to press his lips to hers a little more, a soft moan escaping his lips.   
  
The mana buzzes a second before he can feel the barrier between his and Gil's mind thinning. The familiar anxiety washes over him a second before he sees the BB Tech logo showing. He feels his mood drop.  
  
 _BB Tech? Where's Uruk Tech? Why would they agree-  
  
I thought we had an agreement about mind invading, Princess.  
  
We did until you started trying to keep secrets. I don't like this. BB is around?   
  
Her technology is, although it looks like a poor version of my own. I will have everything replaced soon enough._ The sight he gets is a collection of circuits and boards before him. It looks like Gil's getting a welding rod and getting to work.

The noise he made sent a warm feeling through her. She doesn't quite understand it as finds herself crawling into his lap, staring at those pretty eyes.   
  
"Is everything okay, my king?" She teases, running a hand through his hair. It's still so soft, she can't believe it. "I-I like kissing you." Truthfully, she wants to kiss him again, but she doesn't want to do it without asking first.

"Things will be," Arthur tells her. _Be careful with that tech, Gil._  
  
He doesn't want him to do anything reckless. It's better they leave if it looks like there may be a real threat.   
  
"So this is alright, isn't it?" Hakuno leans a little closer.  
  
"You're fine, Hakuno," Arthur tells her simply, returning to his thoughts to Gilgamesh.   
  
_Do you know how long you'll be-_  
  
Hakuno's lips press against his own, scattering his thoughts. He feels her hands holding his shoulders, her lips pulling back after a moment.   
  
"Arthur?"  
  
 _What is wrong, Arammu?_ Gilgamesh thinks his way.  
  
"Did I kiss you wrong?" Hakuno blushes hard, looking away. "I just... since you said it was fine, I thought I could... Sorry."  
  
"You were a great kisser," Arthur tells her. "I'm a little distracted. I didn't mean to have you kiss me more. You need to gather your energy more."

"I-I just wanted to kiss you," Hakuno admits, her face still bright red. "I like you."   
  
Maybe she shouldn't have done that. She misunderstood.  
  
"Is everything alright? What is distracting you?" Maybe she can help.  
  
 _I will be done here in a while. Keep our Master distracted in the meantime. I don't want her getting memories of BB._ Gilgamesh tells Arthur, before returning to his work.

"I-I was just thinking about Gilgamesh." Arthur winces the moment he says that though. She might want to go find him if they're not careful. He tries to think, scraping at the bottom of the barrel in thought to find himself smiling a little.  
  
"What do you think about going to the kitchens here and making a nice selection of food? You have to be hungry."

"I think he's fixing my laptop." Hakuno tells Arthur pressing her forehead against his. "I noticed he took it with him. I kind of want to spend time with you for a moment. I-I still haven't gotten to talk with you much one on one like I have with Gilgamesh."   
  
Was he thinking of Gilgamesh while they were kissing? She can't help but be a little sad at that. She's not upset at Gilgamesh or Arthur, since they're close, but she wanted to be one on his mind while they kissed.   
  
It's a selfish thought, but she can't help it.

"I don't mind spending time with you, Hakuno. I actually love being able to enjoy your company... Or I liked when I was around my wife." God, that sounds awful. He can practically feel Gilgamesh wincing.  
  
Think... Think...  
  
"Master," Arthur lifts her hand to his lips. "Let's try that again. I don't mind if you kiss me and I would love to spend time with you, but let's start by doing some cooking or reading together. Maybe a movie?"  
  
That still sounds awkward, but this was his wife's reincarnation. Nothing was so simple.

"O-Oh." Hakuno Hakuno replies. He sounds nervous for some reason. She hopes she's not pressuring him or anything.  
  
"I'd like to cook with you or watch a movie with you, Arthur. Y-You, don't have to spend time with me if you don't want to. I'm sorry."

"No! No! I want to spend time with you too. I just don't want you to feel like you have to as my master. I think you're a lovely woman and I want to do this right. No obligation."   
  
_You sound like a dumbass,_ Gil's voice murmurs.  
  
 _Shut. Up. Gil!_

"I want to spend time with you," Hakuno promises her hand brushing away at his hair. "You're the one I've thought about spending time with for a long time. I want to be your Master, A-And I want you to like me too."  
  
God, she sounds so dumb. She hopes she's making sense.

"I'd like that a lot, Hakuno."   
  
She's so cute. She's so precious. He kisses her hand as he pulls it from his hair, trying to think. "Let's make something simple to eat and then come here and watch movies. I think that would be good for a day of rest and respite."

"That sounds fun." Hakuno tugs on his hand a bit. "I've never cooked anything before. I'd like to watch you cook. You're so amazing, Arthur. I love being around you."  
  
He's so handsome, she's amazed she's forming sentences that make sense. He's so quiet though, unlike Gil. She needs to get to know him better.

"Then, this way," Arthur leads, moving to stand up and pulling a cloak from the gates. She can hide away underneath it in her pajamas since they are planning to spend the day resting anyway.

Hakuno nods, pulling the cloak over her head. It's so warm. She reaches out and holds his hand, lacing their fingers together. "Let's go, Arthur. Maybe by the time we're done cooking, Gil will be done fixing my laptop." They can surprise him with a nice breakfast.

* * *

  
Romani yawns, watching as the man works away on their communications. Da Vinci will be happy when she appears in the Command Room, but there's one thing he doesn't understand.  
  
"Why help us? You've been working hard all night, but why?" Gilgamesh couldn't stand them, so it doesn't make sense.

"If you must ask, then you are useless to me." Gilgamesh can feel the sweat on his face, his mood as foul as whatever swill this man has been giving him. The flunkies have been coming in and out of the room for the past couple hours, excited as can be after finding the other half of Ruler working on something.   
  
_My prowess is being compared to a plumber.  
_  
Arthur seems distracted. There's no sly remark to that.   
  
"I mean it," Romani tries again, as though saying it once more will do anything. "Why help us? You don't like any of us. You want to take Hakuno out of here. That's obvious. Why bother with helping us repair and replace parts... and what do you know of BB Tech? They're the premier tech company."  
  
"Then your people suffer from gross neglect," Gilgamesh replies. "Make up a reason. Entertain the nameless around here. I care not how you decide to resolve your personal mystery, just cease your quibbling around me and hand me the motherboard I built an hour ago."

He's so stubborn, Romani thinks to himself, as he hands Gilgamesh the motherboard. Truly, he didn't think that Gilgamesh even had the talent to do such a thing given that he was an ancient king and-  
  
He hears the door to the command room open and hears a familiar gasp. Da Vinci is awake.   
  
Great. These two are going to go back and forth about technology all morning. Maybe he can sneak a quick nap in...but then this guy will complain.   
  
"You know, I was joking when I said it would be nice if King Gilgamesh could fix our coms, Romani. You didn't have to drag him away from Hakuno to get him to actually fix it."

Romani sighs, looking over at her.   
  
"If you think for a second I would rouse this guy up to do anything with technology..."  
  
He can feel the blade against his back, the sound of his weapon coming forth from one of those golden air puddles. The sweat on his back seems to drip down, leaving him to pale a little.  
  
"What are you doing with my command room?" Da Vinci asks.  
  
"You call this a command room? Do you hope to take heart rates and bang on the sides of the monitors all day?"   
  
"Well, since as you're currently going Doctor Frankenstein on the devices-"  
  
"How amusing. What would you know of bolts and wires like this?"  
  
"My name is Da Vinci, you dumbass."  
  
"Mmm, the poor fool is no doubt rolling in his grave, knowing a fool is taking his surname and putting it to such shame and disgrace." Gilgamesh's nose seems to rise as he looks in her direction. Those red eyes almost scathing as he watches her. "Do your colleague the favor of teaching him how to make a proper cup of tea. I have no need for children around my workstation here and the fool has given me nothing but grounds to drink."

"I am a Servant like you, Gilgamesh." Da Vinci replies, shaking her head.   
  
The man is too damn moody, but that lines up with the data on him. At least something is right about the man in the information about him in the Servant index.   
  
"Come on, Romani. Let's let goldilocks tinker with our technology a bit more while we get some coffee. You look awful. Did you not sleep?"  
  
Did he not sleep, what a stupid question. As if Gilgamesh would let him sleep. Every time he so much as closed his eyes, the king was barking orders at him. "hand me this you fool, hold the flashlight better."  
  
It was tiring.

"I could use some coffee," Romani offers, moving to stand. Honestly, he could find someone to take his place sitting here and being the man's personal lamp.   
  
"I changed my mind. You are not leaving, Hebrew. Sit. Hold the light. The woman will do what she pleases, but your allegiance is to me."  
  
Could he argue that?  
  
"The man is dead on his feet!" Da Vinci complains.  
  
"He should have thought about that before putting fossils about the base with spyware."  
  
"Excuse me?"   
  
Romani went to speak, but the woman has taken the flashlight, shoving him aside and looking under the control panel beside Gilgamesh.

"Do you see now?" Gilgamesh snickers. "Any and all messages you've been sending from here have been all going to a third party." He has a feeling he knows exactly where the information is going too, but he'll have to look into that later.  
  
If BB knows where Hakuno is, then she'll follow her. It doesn't matter if it's on the Moon Cell or another world. The woman has an unhealthy infatuation with his woman.   
  
"I am in the process of replacing all the equipment in this Command Room. Next time we rayshift, my Master will be beside me in better quality, and she may communicate with you lot better. I'll not have my Master attempt to do a job with shitty equipment."

"You are not changing anything without me here." Da Vinci settles close, looking closer at the handiwork. "You and I will be tied to the hip for this. I'm not losing Gudako and Mash due to your obsessive tech work."   
  
Romani tries to speak up, but the man waves him off.   
  
"Take Shielder and Hakuno their laptops, Doctor. I have work to do with Fake Vinci."

Romani sighs, picking up the two laptops and leaving the room. At least he's getting away from the bossy demi-god. He never wants to hold a flashlight again in his life after last night.   
  
The doctor goes down the hallway until he hears a familiar voice laughing in the kitchens.  
  
Hakuno? She's awake this early? Here he was thinking he'd have to wake her up.   
  
He moves towards the kitchens, and peeks inside, nearly dropping the laptops at what he sees.   
  
Hakuno sitting on top of the counter, watching as the other Servant of hers, Arthur, cook what looks to be pancakes, with her tugging on his sleeve every few seconds and stealing kisses from the man.  
  
His baby. Kissing a Heroic Spirit.   
  
She's falling too quickly for these two.   
  
"Hakuno." Romani calls stepping inside the kitchen to see Hakunos face turn a bright red.   
  
"R-Romani?" Hakuno replies, but still refusing to let go of Arthur, "What are you doing here?" She hopes he didn't see her kissing Arthur just now.

"I was bringing you your laptop. You should be getting back to bed soon... and we should probably make sure your servants stick together. I don't know how their spirit works so it might be unwise for them to be apart."  
  
The asshole nerd will no doubt force Arthur to hold the light, which meant less kissing on Hakuno.

"Gil fixed my laptop?!" Hakuno states excitedly, hopping down to take a look. "Arthur was making me breakfast and then we we're going back to sleep. You should eat with us, Romani. You have to be hungry. You don't look like you've slept any."

"I am going to bed now. I don't intend to stay up for any longer than necessary." He doesn't want them kissing though. He's trying to think. "Make sure to have Arthur hang out with Gilgamesh, Hakuno. I mean it about their energy and strength. We don't know if they can separate from each other."

Hakuno nods. "Okay Romani. As soon as we're done eating I'll make sure Arthur finds Gilgamesh."   
She doesn't know if she'll actually do that, but she'll try. She's having too much fun hanging out with Arthur right now.

"Do be careful," Romani warns again. He sees Mash coming down the hallway. Sighing a little, he moves to bring her her new laptop.

Hakuno turns her attention back to Arthur, hugging him from behind.   
"Arthur, how long can you and Gilgamesh be separated for? Romani thinks you and Gil need to be next to each other all the time. He wants me to send you to go find Gil after we're done eating." Hakuno explains.

Arthur shrugs. "I don't think it's a problem, Hakuno. I think your father figure might be a little put out at us... um... Well, he might have seen us kissing."   
  
He can feel his face turn a little red.

"O-Oh." Hakuno can feel her own face blushing. "But I like kissing you. I'm not going to stop just because Romani feels uncomfortable. He's probably kissed a lot of girls." Hakuno argues, standing on her tiptoes to press her lips to his cheek.   
"See? I'm making decisions on my own."

"You are." Arthur smiles, leaning in and kissing her lightly. "You can make your own decisions, well done. Just be sure to be careful, Hakuno. You don't have to go out of your way to make decisions for yourself. You can always rely on friends."   
  
He'd disliked Gil's fighting with her earlier. Seeing her be happy like this was far better.

Hakuno hums at their kiss, admiring how handsome Arthur is as she hops back onto the counter. "I know, but er, don't tell Gilgamesh, but I just want to prove him wrong. I can be a strong person and a strong Master. I don't think he's too happy having someone as weak as me as a Master." Hakuno explains. "B-But I plan on getting stronger soon. I won't be a burden on anyone here."

"He isn't bothered by that. Think of me like a cheat sheet to Gilgamesh. He isn't bothered at all about your strength. He's happy about working with you. He's more concerned about making sure that you aren't fooled into trouble."  
  


He stacks another couple of pancakes onto the plates and smiles more.  
  


"You just stay confident about your decisions. That's all we need for you to do."

That makes sense. "I wish he would just say that. I thought he didn't like me."   
  
She runs a hand through that soft hair of his, smiling at him.   
  
"I'm glad you're here too, Arthur. I-I'm going to become more confident, I want to keep you both with me, after all."

"I have learned that Gilgamesh says everything perfectly in his head... Then what comes out is what's best half the time for situation. He has an annoying way of saying the right thing at the right time."  
  
Arthur kisses her one last time before picking up their plates.   
  
"Gil talk is over. Let's go enjoy our movies and maybe play around on your laptop."

"Okay!" She runs after him, pulling the cloak around her a little more. "I can't wait to try your cooking, Arthur. It smells so good. I've never had someone cook something just for me before."  
  
That thought makes her happy. Arthur is just too perfect. He's just as chivalrous and kind as the stories she's read about him.   
  
"I'll cuddle you while we watch some movies." She's seen a lot of girls do that in the Japanese films Romani bought her.

"I'll cuddle you back and watch films. I seem to have this wild thought that we can curl up under a blanket together and stack all the pillows behind us for good back support."

Hakuno giggles a bit as she leads the knight back to her room. "Let's do that, Arthur. We can have our own pillow kingdom. Just me and you." Well, until Gilgamesh gets back at least.

Pillow kingdom.  
  
It's a bit too childish for his taste, but he still carries the plates and leads the way back to her room. This is a good timeframe where he can get to know her better. She can pick films that she likes in order to show him her interests or dreams. She can show whether she trusts him by cuddling close or show how nervous she is by hesitating to come too near. He can learn about how she relaxes in order to be able to know whether she's calming down between later battles they get into the thick of.   
  
He carefully stays next to her in the hallways, watching as she bounces at his side to her bedroom. She all but slams her door open, setting her laptop on the table by the bed and hurrying to get things around. Her rushed attempt to stack the pillows is all too cute.

Hakuno turns on her laptop quickly, before going over to her closet, and pulling out one of her warmer blankets. "We can cuddle with this, Arthur!" She tells him excitedly, as she places the heavy blanket onto the bed.   
  
"I have some films on my laptop, we can cuddle right here, and eat and watch films together." They'll watch Princess Mononoke first, and then maybe Spirited Away since there's a dragon in that film. He might like that film a lot.

"Whatever you are in the mood for," Arthur tells her, setting the syrup bowl on the nightstand and setting their plates down. He's more than happy to pull another couple of blankets out, knowing that Gil will come back and want to be warm.

Hakuno sits on the bed first motioning for Arthur to join her as she flips through her laptop, thankful that it's moving much faster now. Whatever Gil did to it, it worked.   
  
"I'll feed you." Hakuno offers, that's what girlfriends are supposed to do, isn't it? She's seen Japanese couples do that stuff on social media. Though she isn't his girlfriend, but the thought of that makes her blush a bit.

"Alright. That'll be fun. I can hold the laptop so that you can move around a little easier."   
  
Hakuno nods at that, clearing her throat a bit to try to dispel some of the blush on her face. She shouldn't think so much about the two servants like that. They're just watching a movie. It's important for servants and their masters to bond. That's what this is.  
  
She pulls up Princess Mononoke, settling the laptop onto his lap and getting the food.

Arthur can't help but watch as Hakuno carefully cuts a piece of the pancake off to feed him a bite. She's so cute, he thinks to himself as he bites down. Her feeding him like this brings back so many memories of him living with her at their old apartment before Gilgamesh moved in. So many nights of them cooking together and feeding each other.   
  
He shouldn't reminisce so much, it brings up too many feelings.   
  
"You should eat too, Hakuno. I'm a Servant, so I don't really need to eat, but you do, Master."

"I just really want to make sure that you eat too, Arthur... Do we have to call each other master and servant?"   
  
Arthur nods, "We should. It's how we're supposed to be."  
  
She feeds him another bite, but it's clear she's disappointed. He can't do much about that right now. She's still young. She's not the same woman that he had gotten close and intimate with. They need to bear in mind the rules and everything around them.  
  
Even with that in mind, he's finding himself holding her close, leaning against her as the movie starts.   
  
_Gil, when you're done, could you hurry back? I'm having trouble focusing on the whole master/servant thing._

_I'm going to be a while yet. These fools' technology is so damn outdated._ Gilgamesh sends his way, listening as Da Vinci goes on about something important. _Set boundaries with her. This isn't our Hakuno, dragon. This is a shell of our woman, you need to remember that._  
  
Hakuno takes a bite of her food, humming at how good Arthur's cooking is. The pancakes aren't too sweet, but they're fluffy. Still, she can't help but feel a bit sad that he doesn't see her as anything more than his Master. She shouldn't be upset about that, Servants are supposed to be respectful to their masters but...   
  
She really needs to stop thinking of them in that way. It's not good.

_Alright, be safe,_ Arthur sends his way, watching the film set up the opening scene. Setting boundaries won't be easy at all, but if he can hold out until Gil finishes, Gil can help him.   
  
Gil had been able to almost argue with Hakuno for a moment there. Having him help to make the boundaries between them and Hakuno will be so much easier.

Hakuno finishes her food quicker than she thought, reaching down and placing the plates down onto the floor, before leaning against Arthur more, pulling the blankets over them as she watches the film, sneaking glances at him every now and then.   
  
If he doesn't see her as anything more than his Master, then that's fine. She'll just be his friend. Friends sometimes kiss and cuddle, don't they?

The thought is hard to bear in mind as the film goes on.   
  
Arthur seems to be all too comfortable with this cuddling and holding her. She doesn't know what's happening in the film at this point. Her hands have been rubbing at Arthur's arm for the last hour. Her head has been leaning against his chest, enjoying the support as the man makes the smallest of sounds here and there as the movie progresses.   
  
She can feel him tense, him relax; she hears the little sound of relief he makes before she looks up and finds him giving a sheepish smile and a quiet apology.   
  
The longer the film is, the more she finds she's screwed. She's entirely in the worst position.   
  
Legendary King Arthur, the hero of her childhood is holding her, a version of him that was married to the woman who had donated these circuits in her body to her... however without knowledge...   
  
He's smiling and feeling nice against her. He's polite. He likes her, by his own admission. He and King Gilgamesh, the legendary king of pleasure himself, both hold an interest in her. Yet she's supposed to be indifferent. She's supposed to ignore this pounding in her chest and this warmth in her body that begs for her to just turn around and kiss him.  
  
Romani had really ruined things.  
  
But that was a horrible thing to think.   
  
Romani was looking out for her. Then again, he hadn't mentioned anything about the origins of her circuits.   
  
But he had taken care of her, even when told to leave her be.  
  
Something was coming up onto the screen. It takes a second to recognize the credits.   
  
"Hakuno?"   
  
"I-I'm just a bit tired," Hakuno tells him, turning and pressing her face to his chest. "I-If you need to check on Gilgamesh, I won't force you to stay here. We are friends. I don't want to make you do anything you don't want to do."   
  
"I'll stay here," Arthur offers, hugging her tight. "Gilgamesh is pretty caught up in his tech fixing. He said he'd be a while before our film started."  
  
"Oh. Alright."   
  
Something feels off about that.  
  
It takes a minute, a long minute before she realizes it.   
  
How would he have talked to Gilgamesh if Gilgamesh is away from them and she's been with Arthur all this time?   
  
It wouldn't make sense. Romani had brought them the laptop, but he was tired and hadn't said much. Other than Romani, they hadn't seen anyone before the film or up to this moment. He had zero communication with Gilgamesh.  
  
"Are you sure? If Gilgamesh seemed busy before, it might just be Romani exaggerating."  
  
Her eyes drift to Arthur's, watching those green eyes closing a second before he shrugs.   
  
"He's got Camelot hymns going. He's tinkering. I'll curl up with you and let you get your rest. Are you sure you don't need any more food? I could make something else."  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
She doesn't get how Arthur knows where and what Gil's doing. Could he sense where servants were?  
  
"Do you think David is alright?" Hakuno asked.  
  
"Hmm? You mean Gudako's servant?" The man shrugged. "Do we need to go check on him?"  
  
"No... No. I just- I was curious. I'm more tired than curious. Let's get a nap in."  
  
It feels like all she's done since summoning them is nap, but that must be something low mana bearing mages do. She'd have to find a way to increase herself up to where Kirschtaria and the others were at.

Arthur frowns a bit. She's thinking about something. He knows that look on her face, something is bothering her, and she's using sleep to escape feeling or thinking.   
  
Still, he won't push her he watches as Hakuno moves away from him, turning over and pulling the blankets over herself.   
  
"Get some rest, Hakuno. I'll be right here protecting you if you need anything."


	15. A Lesson in Mana Transfers

Gilgamesh stands up wiping the sweat off this face. This whole operation took much much longer than he would've liked but it's done now. The computers are all encrypted, they run must faster. The communications are clearer as well. He can actually understand what these fools are saying.  
  
"I will accept any and all praise for my work." He smirks over at the woman, Da Vinci.

"Praise? Good god, Ruler, I need a damn nap."  
  
He has to shrug at that, finding the woman laying back and closing her eyes. Her grip there at the end had become so shaky when holding the light. Even more, as they had gone along, she had become increasingly inquisitive.  
  
'What does this do?' 'Why are you creating the motherboard like that?' 'You're going to fry that, aren't you?! You can't just put together a board like that!'  
  
He'd endured and now this? Gilgamesh rolls his eyes at her complaint.  
  
"You may now rest without being recorded and documented. You should be thankful to me for that. The last thing you needed was another person coming here to bomb your lifeless world around you. I imagine if we spent a few more days, we could probably improve the rayshift further." He could have Hakuno human in the areas, although that would be quite a feat. Already he'd wasted the day reading while he worked on the motherboards and replaced parts.

Da Vinci laughs at that. "Well, when you do that, it's Romanis turn to be your helper."  
  
She's tagging out. It's the doctor's turn to be his human lamp.  
  
"Go spend time with your Master, Ruler. You both have been draining her Mana and papa Romani is becoming concerned. I have a few ideas on how to fix that problem, but I need to speak with Hakuno first."

"Go spend time with your master. It sounds like you're trying to get rid of me."  
  
He will deal with that kind of attitude later. For now, he watches her yawn and gives in for the moment. She's earned her respite, unlike that doctor.  
  
"When you see the fool and he's rested enough, have him come to meet with me. I require him to brief me through his part in the research he's done. I want no details spared either."

"Right, right." Da Vinci closes her eyes. "You might not like what you hear though. I don't even know the whole story in the research that was done here, and I was summoned before you."  
  
Romani won't like meeting with this guy, but it's the least the man can do since old goldie over there fixed all of their tech issues.  
  
"I'll make sure he meets with you. I won't let him duck out on that, Ruler. Tell your master to give you more mana as well. Your power feels weak. It's like someone could simply kill you without making much difference in this place."  
  
Gilgamesh heads away from her, leaving her to wallow or whatever she typically did. The hallways seem to be quiet again, the elevator, a fix of his amongst many others, runs smoothly, leaving him to hum in appreciation.  
  
If Enkidu were here, things would have been done hours ago. A good friend is impossible to find.  
  
The doors open, the floor lights are flickering a bit.  
  
 _Lousy mage mechanics._  
  
Gilgamesh moves to the bedroom and finds himself opening the door to Hakuno stroking the hair of a slumbering Arthur. Her expression looks as doe-y eyed as he's ever seen it. Once again, he finds himself watching Hakuno fawn over someone else.  
  
"Should I leave the two of you alone?"

Hakuno's eyes light up at seeing Gilgamesh again. Thank goodness he's back. She carefully slips out of the bed, and damn near runs over to hug him tightly.  
  
"You fixed my laptop! You're so amazing, Gilgamesh! Thank you so much." She tells him honestly, nuzzling her head against the man. She's so happy to see him again. "Arthur fell asleep waiting on you. We were starting to get worried about you, Gil. I was about to come look for you."  
  
She looks up at those red eyes of his, finding herself getting lost in them for a moment, before snapping herself out of it. "I-is everything alright?"

"The laptop was running pathetically slow. It needed to be running faster." Gilgamesh smirks at the praise, leaning in and wrapping an arm around her. The admiring look was what he had wanted. It's far better to see it coming from his own woman as well.  
  
So very admirable...  
  
  
"What have you and Mister Perfect been up to in here? I was away for the whole day, after all."

"Arthur made pancakes this morning, then we watched a movie, Then we were going to take a nap, but I couldn't fall asleep." Too much on her mind to fall asleep. The combination of trying to figure out why it bothered her so that Arthur didn't see her the way she saw him, and how to open her circuits forcefully without surgery was giving her a headache.  
  
"I missed you." She mutters, hugging the man more. "I don't like it when you're away from me."

"To think you'd bother missing me when you had English here with you," Gilgamesh smirks a little, letting her hug him and tilting her face up for a small kiss.  
  
His arms wrap around her waist, lifting her up into his arms. She was best in his arms like this, best when she was looking at him with such adoration. He can't help stealing another kiss, knowing Arthur was too far asleep to even notice.

"I always miss you when you leave my side," Hakuno replies, humming at his kisses. "Oh! Did you tell Arthur you were leaving this morning, while I was asleep? He told me that you would be awhile, but I was a little curious how he would know that, because we haven't seen you all day." She explains, stealing another small kiss from the man.  
  
That was the only explanation she could accept. Otherwise, it didn't make sense unless Rulers could somehow sense where Servants were located at all times.

"Hmm? I did not tell him that. Is he perhaps trying to steal you all for himself? What a naughty, terrible king." Gilgamesh presses more kisses to her face, moving along her jawline to her neck. He carries her deeper into the room, setting her down on the bed.  
  
"I didn't get the chance to take a good look earlier, but your mana seems to be weak, Hakuno. Have you not tried to raise it?"

Huh. That's strange then. Maybe Arthur was just trying to spend more time with her then. She shakes that thought away, as his lips meet her neck, she shivers slightly at that, as she wraps her arms around him more.  
  
"I-I was just thinking about that, while you were away," Hakuno confesses. "I don't know how to raise my mana. The only thing I can think of is to forcefully open my circuits, but I would have to have another surgery, and Romani won't perform another surgery on me so soon." Plus, with everything going on, she's sure that practicing medicine is the last thing on Romani's mind right now.

"You could share mana with me," Gilgamesh offers. "I cannot do too much, but I should be able to share enough that you can build up your mana levels."  
  
He'd thought about it enough. A few kisses and making her feel good wouldn't do any harm. Hakuno had been good at kissing mana into him and building it up before when she'd been divine. He can train Hakuno before him to do the same.  
  
"What do you think? It won't hurt."

Hakuno nods her head. "Okay. We can try that. I, um, gave Arthur a bit of mana earlier, but I'm not sure if it worked or not." Hakuno tells the man. She wasn't sure if she was good at giving mana out or not. Maybe that's why he pulled away from her before.  
  
Regardless, she's running a hand through his hair, admiring how handsome the man before her is. "I'd love to share mana with you, Gilgamesh."

"Then you'll need to listen. If you find it to be too intimate, then we will stop." Gilgamesh settles onto the bed, letting Hakuno sit on his lap. "The key to sharing mana is to imagine it. Half of magecraft, I've found is picturing your goals and simply forcing them to be. The sheer willpower of such things is absurd, but that is how it is."  
  
He kissed her again, encouraging her to kiss him back.  
  
"This next kiss, picture your mana like your breath and breathe some of it into me. We will practice passing back and forth for a few minutes."

So, she just has to imagine what she wants, and it'll happen? That sounds far too convenient, but El Melloi speaks in the same manner too...  
  
She'll try it. If this works, then she can just share mana with Gilgamesh until her mana gets strong enough that she can provide these two with mana all on her own.  
  
She closes her eyes, imagining her mana as a breath, as she kisses Gilgamesh with everything in her. She feels as if years of repressed emotions are coming out in that kiss, but that's alright. She can feel energy passing through her, while she kisses him. She hopes that it's working. She needs this to work.

The kiss is so soft, so innocent. Gilgamesh hums appreciatively at the kiss, feeling the mana pouring his way. The energetic feeling is running through him in almost an electric manner, leaving him to smile.  
  
He pulls back, keeping his face close to hers.  
  
"A quick learner. I will be giving mana back this time. Welcome the mana back and let it flow through you."

Before she can respond, his lips are on hers again, she feels the mana pouring back into her body as if she just drank a warm drink after she went outside to the cold snow and wind that awaits the moment she leaves Chaldea.  
  
The feeling is far too nice. She can see why Servants love mana so much. It must be something like a drug to them, or at the very least, something addicting.  
  
She pulls back smiling at her Servant. "You're good at this, Gilgamesh."

"I have been well educated on this," Gilgamesh replies simply. His hand is brushing at her hair, trying to think through the urge to do something more with the woman. Arthur would have his hide though. Already he was in questionable territory.  
  
"Now we will try another method. We are going to build up mana through pleasure. This time, the goal will be to find pleasure in the kisses and want to build it up. The best method of mana building is... for later. For now, we will focus on this."  
  
He leans in. "As with before, if you feel the mana waning, you can pour a bit more mana into the kiss. It will serve as a spark to stoke the fire."

Pleasure? She already likes kissing him. It sounds like she just needs to push those feelings at him while she kisses him. That should be easy then.  
  
Her lips find his once more, her hands gripping his shoulders tightly, her body pressing up against his more, as she attempts to deepen their kiss, pouring mana into her kiss, refusing to let their kiss end so soon. Arthur had denied her this. Denied her the opportunity to show how much she cares for them both, and how much she wants to take care of them both. At least Gilgamesh was willing to let her try new things with him.

Gilgamesh can feel the mana pouring forth, but she needs to be building it up. He kisses her more, pushing her onto her back next to Arthur and kissing her harder. His hands begin to move to her waist before he stops himself. He focuses on the kiss. Just kissing for now.  
  
There's a plethora of mana flowing now, building between the two of them. He can feel his body warming, the energy building up.  
  
 _I know you're not having sex._  
  
Gilgamesh pulls back, panting a little. "We're not, Mister Perfect. We're kissing only."  
  
The man is no doubt bemused by that though. The grumpy look is almost comical.

Hakuno looks between Arthur and Gilgamesh, panting a bit. That look on Arthur's face is enough to tell her, that he thought that they were doing something that they weren't supposed to be doing.  
  
"Gilgamesh was showing me how to build up my mana." Hakuno explains, reaching out for Arthur's hand. "I understand how to do it now. I could try it with you next if you'd like, Arthur. You need mana too, you're both my Servants. I need to take care of you both."  
  
She hopes he says yes, she wants to feel this almost euphoric feeling with Arthur too. She wants to make him feel the way that Gilgamesh is making her feel right now. She wants to make his heartbeat loudly, and make his body feel warm with her mana.

 _You said boundaries, Gil!  
  
Boundaries are set. I simply am not denying myself the pleasure of her company either. Her mana was low._  
  
 _You're being low,_ Arthur counters. _Do you know how_ _sleazy_ _that is? Coming in here after telling me to be careful and not to get all close!?_  
  
 _Mana transfers require intimacy. This is as intimate and innocent as we can manage. She is getting weak without it._  
  
Damn him. Arthur runs a hand through his hair before looking to Hakuno's waning expression. The pleading look is worsening, the hope dying slowly in her eyes before he moves closer and sighs.  
  
"W-We can do a little. Just show me what he's been teaching you." Depending on how bad it is, he'll kick Gil's ass.  
  
 _You haven't kicked my ass since we fought that alter me four wars back._ Gilgamesh argues mentally, leaning back and fiddling with Hakuno's computer again.

"Really?" Hakuno replies, sitting up. "I-if you want me to stop, just say so, Alright?" She doesn't want to force him to do this with her, but he needs mana just as she does.  
  
Sitting up, she places her hands on his chest, before closing her eyes and kissing him gently. She focuses on pouring mana into their kiss first, then they can build up the mana as they go along. His lips are so soft, and he tastes sweet. She wants so savor this moment, who knows if he'll ever let her kiss him like this again.  
  
She's really in too deep for this man. Gilgamesh too, but Arthur even more so. She wants him to accept her like Gilgamesh does. She wants to be an adult already, then she can show him how much she cares about him properly.

 _Behave yourself,_ Gil warns, almost making him stop kissing Hakuno to smack him.  
  
What an asshole. What an absolute asshole.  
  
 _Remember that when you're the one invading my mind later._  
  
Arthur kisses Hakuno more, practicing what their divine Hakuno had taught them so long ago. He can feel the memory of before, the battles of their first war in mind, Gilgamesh and Hakuno needed more mana and coming to him for help. He almost can picture how things had been then, where he and Hakuno had shared command spells over the golden king-  
  
"Stop," Arthur pulls back, he can sense the tension in the room, from both Hakuno and Gilgamesh. His face feels warm. "Sorry... I'm not used to kissing. It's... very intimate. I don't want to force you into anything, Hakuno."  
  


He needs to stop remembering the past. It won't help with anything now.

"O-oh." Hakuno mutters, pulling back, away from the man. "You're not forcing me into anything, Arthur."  
  
She looks at the time. She should go bathe. She needs to go calm down anyway, she's getting in her own head about all of this. Maybe a warm bath will help.  
  
"Um, I'm going to go bathe. I'll be right back, you guys can stay here I have a few games and movies on my laptop if you both get bored. I won't be long, I'll bring us snacks back." She promises, hugging Gilgamesh tightly before she slides out of the bed, grabbing a clean pair of pajamas, and the bag of soaps Gilgamesh gave her before heading out of the room.  
  


She scoots pretty fast to leave once Arthur's lost in his memories. She probably caught a glimpse, which, seeing one's self sobbing and kissing the person your kissing, is uncomfortable.  
  
"Well done," Gilgamesh tells the man, having waited until the doors closed and Hakuno was out of the room.

Arthur groans. "I didn't do anything wrong. I'm attempting to be respectful towards her, and to not force her into loving us," he explains, staring at the door for a few moments. "It's as you said, she's young, and she isn't our Hakuno. I can't treat her the way I did our wife."  
He needs to understand that. After all, he was the one pushing that narrative earlier.

Gilgamesh gives a small shrug. "She cares about us. She acts the same. She shares the same mana circuits."  
  
Ramses Ozymandias might have been onto something in their first life when he had said that Nefertari was his Hathor and had pushed to simply keep the woman for himself. This Hakuno walked and talked the same. Her mind was focused on the same things as well. He could simply wait until she was an adult and have her.

Even though that is true, Arthur can't help the nagging feeling in the back of his head, that tells him this is wrong.  
  
"I feel as if I'm taking advantage of her, Gilgamesh. She barely knows right from wrong, because she has been so sheltered, and here I am pushing my feelings of her past self onto her." Arthur shakes his head. "It isn't right."

"I spent an entire day making sure that her old obsessive fan keeps from having any information on her. I have listened to that old croon of a woman speak of her and that doctor. I am tired. I took a moment to share and build mana with her."  
  
He moves forward, leaning against Arthur.  
  
"Stop thinking of this in terms of moral rights and wrongs and think of it in terms of this: she will need mana. She can get it naturally, simply, by a couple kisses here and there. Or, instead, she can get something done that we won't approve of, but no one will listen. She will see the world now because she will need to protect humanity. Where she decides to take things from there are things that she will decide."

Arthur sighs as he wraps his arms around the man, pressing his lips to his cheek. "I suppose you're right, but I still don't like this. She shouldn't have even been brought here."  
  
She should've been raised by Kiritsugu, and given the chance to choose her own path. Granted, Kiritsugu kept her sheltered too, but not to this extent.  
  
"I should apologize to her, shouldn't I? She has been upset all day. She wouldn't look at me after our movie ended." He has a feeling he's fucked up somehow.

"Well, I wouldn't know what to recommend since one of us has been working endlessly to repair this heap of metal the facility workers call a home." The attention from the fool is nice though. He hums at the attention, settling on the man's lap more.  
  
"When she returns, you should offer more mana building. She is weak right now and needs what she can make... that is after you appreciate me for my efforts. I did repair the electronics for a vast number of rooms in this building. No breaks. No good company. My light people were both whining children."

"Oh?" Arthur grins, leaning his face in closer to the mans. "My king worked tirelessly today. You are tired, I can tell by your expression." He steals the man's lips, happy that he returned to his arms, where the man belonged.  
  
"If no one else is appreciative of your efforts, I am Gilgamesh. Still, I can't imagine what you must've gone through with Romani and Da Vinci as your helpers. Romani walked in on me kissing our Master, and looked ready to burn me on sight."

"Ah, you're appreciative? I found you scowling the moment you woke up. You may apologize for that as well. Giving me such grouchy looks when I return from such tasks. It is as you said. They were quite useless helpers. Inquisitive Fake Vinci and her Hebrew doctor friend; I had my hands full and my ears ringing from their incessant chatter."  
  
This is fine. The man close. Hakuno no doubt returning soon to humor and entertain them. The only thing they need now is for people to leave them be.

"I misunderstood what was happening forgive me I will-"  
  
He pauses as he hears the door opening, the sight of pink hair makes him sigh as the doctor stares at them, and they stare back.  
  
Romani isn't sure what to make of the scene before him. Arthur glaring at him, while Gilgamesh simply sits on the Camelot king's lap, like a house cat.  
  
"D-Da Vinci said that Gilgamesh wanted to talk with me," Romani explains. "I can come back later..." God, please let him come back later, he really doesn't want to speak to these two alone, without Hakuno around. He ran into her, but she only hugged him tightly, before running off. Something must be wrong.

"Oh no, come in." Gilgamesh simply grins, leaning against Arthur more. "Sit down in here. It is best that we speak sooner rather than later. Do not make me ponder more questions. You will never be rid of me then."

He has a feeling that he's never going to be rid of the man one way or another as he closes the door behind him. Eyeing the scene before him carefully, before sitting in a nearby chair. He still can't believe this. The two are cuddling up like a pair of lovers. Hakuno's summoning must have gone wrong somewhere.  
  
As long as they're not at each other's throats, he can't complain though. Let the two cuddle like a pair of kittens.  
  
"What is it that you wish to speak about, King Gilgamesh?" Romani asks. "Before I forget, I thank you for repairing our equipment. Our command room is running much more smoothly now. I owe you my gratitude." He doesn't enjoy saying that, but it's true. Their computers are running incredibly faster, they can better look at Sheba this way as well. Though there is a singularity brewing, it's small right now, but he expects that he'll have to send Gudako and Hakuno into the rayshift machines again in a few days.

"You have no place to be thanking me about the equipment." Gilgamesh waves his thanks off, sitting up a little, but keeping against Arthur. "The systems should not have been left in such poor repair. The fact that the mages could not come to an agreement about the use of magecraft-less individuals being necessary is unforgivable."  
  
Arthur wraps his arms around the man a little tighter, giving him a light squeeze.  
  
"The man is thanking you, Gil. Take it," Arthur tells him.  
  
"I will not accept thanks for work that could have been done by anyone with half a mind."  
  
Arthur sighs, moving to press his lips to Gil's temple. The sense of concern for what had been happening here echoes in the man's head. He glances to Romani as Gilgamesh remains stubborn.  
  
"What Gilgamesh is wanting to know is what other experiments and things have happened. Hakuno has had circuits placed in her and slowly opened. Who else is experimented on? What was the mindset behind some of these plans?"  
  
"I was going to get to that," Gil complains.

Ah, this again. Romani runs a hand through his hair, as he stares at these two. They're not going to leave him be unless he answers honestly, are they?  
  
"I told you what I already know, but I haven't told Arthur so I'll give him the short version before I go into more detail. Marisbury was in a Grail War around seventeen years ago. He fought the leader of the Kishinami family, Hakuno, at the time and murdered him in cold blood along with the entire Kishinami clan. Hakuno is the only one left alive with their crest. Marisbury adopted Hakuno out of guilt and brought her to the Clock Tower for a time before Chaldea was built. Then she was moved here."  
  
He watches as the two intently stare at him before continuing. "We have pictures of what the Kishinami clan's home was like, what their circuits look like and much more. Upon further investigation, Marisbury discovered that Hakuno's family was descended from a woman, a mage, that became a goddess with the help of two kings. We also discovered that Hakuno's circuits were trash, but Marisbury needed her to be a mage, so Kirschtaria found her ancestors tomb, and dug the body up, and brought the circuits back to Chaldea, where we implanted them into Hakuno. As for other experiments done here, the only one that I'm aware of is Mash. I'm sure Arthur has already sensed which Heroic Spirit is working with Mash. Mash is the only demi-servant in existence. In general, demi-servants are said to fundamentally be beings that should be unable to exist, similar to the concept of a vampire being unable to birth a mixed-blood offspring."

 _Bullshit._  
  
Arthur leans against Gilgamesh at the mental statement the other makes, closing his eyes to let the information process.  
  
The thought of Marisbury telling Hakuno to give up the servants comes to the man's mind, the man simply looking to Hakuno and breaking her hopes. He can see Gilgamesh trying to remember the words in the binder he had seen. He can't get a good look, but there are more than two tabs. Which means there were more than two, Gilgamesh seems to think.  
  
"Do you know who Marisbury's servant was? Are they still around to talk to?" Arthur asks.

"I don't." Romani shakes his head at the two men. "All I know is that he was a Caster, and Kishinami's Servant was a facet of Tamamo-no-Mae, an Assassin class Servant. He used his wish on the grail for wealth in order to build Chaldea."  
  
Romani sighs.  
  
"What else would you like to know? I was involved with the experiments done here, but nothing was done to Hakuno that would mentally scar her. Not like Mash. Mash was put through much, much more than Hakuno.

 _He's lying again._  
  
Arthur pulls Gilgamesh in, clinging to him as he watches Romani. It doesn't all sound wrong, but Gilgamesh is suspicious and the man's own admissions are heinous enough. The man is excusing the fact that Mash was put through worse than Hakuno. He knows things, important things, but he's only giving them breadcrumbs.  
  
 _We should corner him-_  
  
"Thanks for letting us know," Arthur tells him. "Can you not put the girls through anything more without telling us? Even if it is for Gudako or Mash, please let us know. We want to make sure the girls understand the full weight of what they are agreeing to go through with."

"I don't think you'll have to worry about that. The man that was putting them both through horrible things is dead. I don't intend on doing any more surgeries to Hakuno, unless it's a life or death situation."  
  
He never wanted to do them in the first place. However, his former Master ordered him too, and he had no choice in the matter.  
  
"Hakuno is like a daughter to me. Mash as well. I-I do care for them. I've basically raised those girls." Romani explains. "Just... Hakuno and Mash's circumstances are different from Gudakos. Gudako is from a family that the Kishinami clan ran out of Kyoto." Maybe he shouldn't have said that but oh well. "I want to keep the girls safe just as much as you two do."

That might be the case, but-  
  
"Hakuno needs to be taken care of. As does Mash. They deserve real paint on the walls, something not steel. They need carpet and to roam outside in the fresh air, not this recycled stuff you've got going on. The rayshift will help, but you need to be making a greenhouse or something." Arthur shakes his head. "Hakuno looked excited by my pancakes. I'm worried about her diet."  
  
 _Such a househusband.  
  
Quiet, Gil._  
  
He can feel Gil shift, the amusement obvious in the subtle slide of that hand on his leg.  
  
"I'm glad we're on the same page for taking care of Hakuno. You don't have to worry about us trying anything. Hakuno is young. She deserves to learn and grow up properly before making any decisions. The only thing we are going to do is occasionally kiss to build and maintain her mana, but we'll be keeping that to a minimum."

"You think I haven't thought of that before?" Romani replies. "You may not believe me, but I tried my hardest to get Marisbury to allow Hakuno into the outside world. The man was only interested in telling her stories about you both, getting her to fall in love with two heroes before she was even a teenager."  
  
These two are acting as if he personally put Hakuno and Mash through torture. That wasn't him. He's not responsible. At least... not fully. He only provided advice and mana for the demi-servant experiments.  
  
"I'm going to be honest, I don't like the thought of you both kissing Hakuno. You both are setting her up for heartbreak when she has to give you two up once we defeat Solomon. If you love her, don't do this to her. Let her fall in love with someone that she can love for more than a few months. Even now she is upset. I don't know what you've both been doing, but I won't tolerate either of you breaking her heart." He has a feeling he's going to be stuck holding the girl in his arms in a bit. She looks so upset when he ran into her on the way to her room

"You act as though we're tomcats to waltz up behind her and simply fuck her raw. The girl knows little. She moves her tail between her legs at the faintest rejection. We are not going after a child." Gilgamesh moves to turn, giving the man his back and adjusting the shirt Arthur is wearing.  
  
 _Now when she becomes a woman..._  
  
"You should show more respect to your elders, mongrel," Gilgamesh continues, as though he hadn't thought against his own words. "The sheer lack of communication and desire to understand those around you is a sign of weakness."

Even if that were true, he sees the way these two look at Hakuno. They are no doubt waiting until she is an adult to try anything more than kissing.  
  
Kings were terrible suitors.  
  
"She is like that because she knows little. And she loves you both." Romani wants to roll his eyes at that, but the girl has loved these two idiots since she could walk.  
  
"I understand you both and the situation perfectly well. All I am asking is that you be careful with Hakuno. I am doing as any father would. You both would understand if you took care of your sons properly when you were alive."  
  
From the records he has on Gilgamesh and Arthur they both were less than great fathers to their sons. Gilgamesh had simply abandoned Ur-Nungal, and Arthur had rejected Mordred from the jump, him and Merlin even going so far as to murder babies throughout his kingdom.  
  
As he said, Kings were terrible suitors.

"...Excuse me?"  
  
 _Gil-_  
  
"Are you saying," Gil all but purrs, "that I was a bad father to my sons? Are you implying that I failed at rearing my own flesh and blood?"  
  
The man's already thinking about Ur-Nungal and their other children: Nergal, with his hoarding habit and his overly chivalrous ways; Owain, with his shy and fierce love for anything that was remotely related to knighthood and family; and then there was Tsuki, the runt of the bunch who had been so sickly as a child.  
  
 _Gil, we don't need to tap into my temper,_ Arthur warns. _Remember what we talked about-_  
  
Gil's already moving to loom over the man. His eyes blazing hot as he all but glares the man into the floor.  
  
"Stand up before me, Mongrel. Stand up once more and say your heresy properly to my face.”

Romani can feel the sweat forming on his brow, as he stands up. Normally, he would all but back down from his claims and scurry away before anything can happen.  
  
But he's not going to let this man bully him into submission. He was a king at one point himself.  
  
"I don't know what timeline that you are from, what singularity your world is located at, but in this world, you married the woman Hakuno is descended from and abandoned both her and Ur-Nungal when Enkidu died for your failed quest for immortality." Those green eyes glare right back at the king.  
  
"I will not back down. I will not have Hakuno fall prey to two kings sweet nothings, who are only looking to replace their dead wife."  
  
That was a low blow and he knows it.

The movement is so fast that Arthur barely has time to suck in a breath. Gilgamesh's fist slams forward, hitting the man straight in the gut and sending him falling back. He can almost feel the pain of that heavy blow from the sound of Romani's groan of bitter agony, but Gil's lifting his head up by that pink hair, making him stand up once more.  
  
"You don't know what timeline and world I am from," Gilgamesh agrees.  
  
Another hit.  
  
Arthur winces, climbing off the bed and grabbing the man before he manages to castrate the poor bastard.  
  
"You know nothing and you assume all based on a few tales woven in ink and sheet. Do not assume my actions. Do not assume my thoughts. Do not dare think I abandoned anything of mine."  
  
"Love, you've gotta stop," Arthur warns, "you'll kill the asshole."  
  
"My people _thrived,_ " Gil tells him. "My family _flourished_ , fiercer, and more colorful than my damn gardens. My wife only died because she knew that her mana could no longer sustain her. She died in _our_ bed in Uruk, because she didn't want to be cold. She died feeling the Euphrates' breeze and her offspring's offspring gathered around her. She had her Camelot garments on. There was no abandonment. And Enkidu died in a bar with Merlin because the two drank themselves to death in another of their damned drinking challenges. There was more liquor in them than water."  
  
It'd been hard to cry when the two had literally been holding the bottles and looking to challenge one another to one more round. Their sons had buried them together.  
  
"Let me go, Arthur," Gil growls. "I will not ask again."  
  
"You've been hit twice." Arthur pulls Gilgamesh closer. "You've made yourself perfectly clear as someone who analyzes and understands nothing about people. You've shown enough disrespect while you were at it. We get what you think of us loud and clear. Now, if you don't mind, I need to keep Gilgamesh from killing you."

He doesn’t understand anything about people? The man isn't wrong. Even when he was alive, he was only used as a tool to carry out God's will.  
  
Even as his wish was granted by the Grail, the voice of God couldn't let him be. He saw the end of everything, which is why he and Marisbury even built Chaldea, why Mash and Hakuno experimented... All to preserve proper human history, so that they never run into situations like this, where heroic spirits from another timeline come and attempt to change history.  
  
Groaning, the doctor stands up his mouth opens to explain himself, when he hears the door open, and a brunette standing in the doorway looking wide-eyed at the scene before her. His nose is bleeding, and Arthur is holding the arrogant demi-god back.  
  
"What happened?!" Hakuno rushed to Gilgamesh first. "Gilgamesh.."

Gilgamesh just looks to Romani, smirk coming to his lips.  
  
"Isn't it amazing? She comes straight to me and I'm not pinning her down and viciously taking her like an animal. It's almost like I have human traits. That can't be though, after all, _I simply abandon anything of mine that comes to my possession."_

Romani shakes his head, wiping at his nose with his sleeve. "Perhaps in your world that is the case. In proper human history, the world you're in now, that is not how things went. Your world should've been cut alongside the singularitiy we were just in a few days ago."  
  
Hakuno looks in between the two men, swallowing she doesn't know what they're talking about but-  
  
"Stop! I don't want either of you fighting! We're supposed to be a team, we're working together. It's not good for us to fight with each other."

Gilgamesh turns.  
  
Damn it all, but Arthur knows that look too well. They've been together far too long to have any doubt. Gil's arm wraps around his shoulders, pulling him in closer now that he's no longer fighting to go beat up the doctor. His lips press against his cheek.  
  
The almost too sweet touch has him sighing slightly, pulling that waist close to keep him from launching himself at the man again.  
  
"Your world is inferior if that is the case. Wasting perfectly suitable figures of history in such a manner. Saddling off suitable knights with adulterous women and killing off suitable friends in such paltry manners; I won't have it. Our world is not gone, it is simply with us. A man is the combination of his past and his present actions. One can't escape what one has done, only learn from it... but you know nothing of that either. It is as Arthur has said. You've made yourself clear. You don't like us. You don't trust us. Leave before I feel privy to sully my hands further."

Romani glares at the man a moment, before making his way to the door to Hakunos room.  
  
"You're right. I do not trust you, just as you do not trust me. However, I cannot deny that I need your help. I cannot defeat Solomon all on my own. We need Heroic Spirits like yourself and King Arthur to protect humanity. Everything will be lost if we cannot work together." Romani explains.

Great.  
  
The moment the door closes, Arthur rubs at his forehead, letting Gilgamesh go.  
  
"That went well," he tells them. "Nothing says 'we'll get along just fine' like threatening back at someone-"  
  
"I don't want to hear it." Gilgamesh moves to sit in a chair nearby. "The man insulted our heirs, heirs of which we went through a gauntlet to raise and care for. I won't sit around while he butchers us into adulterous, tyrannical beasts without rhyme or reason."  
  
The man pats his lap.  
  
"Hakuno," Arthur moves in the way of the man. "Can you go talk things out with that doctor? Just take a few minutes to make sure Gil didn't beat him into a serious health condition."

Hakuno pauses, but nods her head, moving to hug Arthur first, "Whatever he said to you both, I'm sorry. R-Romani is a good person, he just sees things differently the way you or I do. I don't know how to explain it properly."  
  
She moves around the man, hugging Gilgamesh tightly. "Calm down. I'll get after him for making you upset. Just stay right here, and I'll come back and give you more Mana before we watch Spirited Away or something."

He almost wishes the mental connection was there with Hakuno if only to tell her-  
  
 _Don't bother. I am not going to lose my temper.  
_  
"Do what you wish." Gilgamesh sits back, adjusting his blue fabrics and leaning far enough backwards that he can rest his head against the back of the chair. His eyes close as he hums a bit. "I did what was right for the sake of pride. If he has qualms, it is only in his lack of understanding."

"If he insulted you and your kids, then he took it too far. He shouldn't have done that. Romani wouldn't like it if someone talked about me or Mash like that." She smiles a bit at him trying to bolster his mood. "It'll be okay. I'll come back and spend time with you and we can forget about what just happened."  
  
She knows where Romani will be. In his room most likely nursing his wounds. He won't show his face to Da Vinci or Gudako until tomorrow probably.

Gilgamesh simply relaxes, whether or not the words registered are impossible to tell. The little buzz of thoughts that flicker to and fro in that head has him shaking his head.  
  
Really, they don't need to be making enemies, even if the ass had lied to them and had insulted them. They didn't know one another. He was a meek thing anyway.  
  
"Let me come with you," Arthur offers to Hakuno. "Maybe we can talk to him together."

Hakuno feels a little surprised at that request. She'd thought for sure that he'd want to stay with Gilgamesh.  
  
Still, she won't turn down the chance to spend a little time with him.  
  
"Okay." Hakuno reaches out at grabs his hand, "Let's go, Arthur. We can get this all worked out. I don't want us to fight. You both and Romani are important to me. I want you all to get along."

"I will be here."  
  
 _Being angry_ , Arthur thinks, turning and wrapping his hand around Hakuno's. He doesn't blame Gil for being that way. The only thing he can think to justify his actions is that Hakuno thinks of the fool as her father. Maybe he can help get the man to see they're not the same as the fools in this timeline.  
  
 _While you are out licking his wounds and kissing his ass, get me some coffee_ , Gil sends his way.  
  
"We'll see about your coffee," Arthur tells the man, moving to close the door. "And we're not kissing his ass, we're making sure you didn't kill him, Gil."


	16. Coffee, Tea, and Baby Pictures

It still doesn't make sense. How did Arthur know that Gil was thinking about coffee? She's sure that he didn't say anything out loud about coffee...  
  
She'll ask him about that once they're done seeing Romani. Hakuno glances up at the green-eyed blond as she leads him down the hallway.   
  
"What happened, Arthur? I went to go take a bath, and when I come back Romani is bleeding and Gilgamesh is looking like he wants to kill him."

"Romani came to thank Gil for the hard work. Gil asked questions. Romani warned us off of trying anything with you because you're young and don't know better. Then he made a remark about Gil and I being bad with children and that set off Gil. He had Sian and Tsuki that he had to coddle carefully."   
  
He glances down only to sigh.   
  
She doesn't remember that. No- she doesn't know anything about that. Just like Romani didn't. It's not their fault that they think so poorly of them. They'll learn over time. They're like Mordred after first coming to Camelot. Young and foolish, filled with nonsense about them.   
  
"We should make sure to get the coffee after Romani. Gil will need something to take his mind off things... but only a small cup."

Sian. The boy she saw in her dreams was cute. She had wanted to hold him close to her.   
  
"I know enough," Hakuno argues. "I know that I care about you both. That should be enough for Romani. He shouldn't have said that though. I know you both were probably amazing fathers." They're amazing at everything, so she's not sure if that's fair praise or not.   
  
She turns a corner, refusing to let go of Arthur's hand. "How did you know Gil wanted coffee? I don't think I heard him say anything about it out loud…"

"Hmm? Oh." Arthur laughs a little. "Gilgamesh always wants coffee. I swear, there should be a recovery group for coffee addicts. I'd sign Gilgamesh up immediately."

Oh. That makes sense then. "I'll make him a good cup of coffee."   
  
As the pair stands in front of Romani's door, Hakuno looks up at Arthur.   
  
"I really like you, Arthur. I like you more than anything or anyone." She feels her face heat up a bit. "I just want to spend time with you, and get to know you. I don't like it when you turn away from me. It hurts a little bit."   
  
She stated her feelings, he can work out what to do on his own, she thinks as she opens the door to Romani's room.  
  
"Romani? Can I come in? Are you okay?"

Romani looks up, dabbing at his nose only to see the other king with Hakuno. He can't help the groan, but he sets his filthy tissue down and plucks another from the box.   
  
"I'm not really in the mood to fight any further. I went to thank the man for fixing the tech and maybe talk about a few things and ended up with a bloody nose."

"I don't want to fight anymore either, Romani," Hakuno tells the doctor, moving closer to him. Maybe she can heal his nose in a minute. "I just wanted to come and check on you, and ask just what happened. Arthur isn't going to hurt you."

"I'm surviving." Romani hugs her a bit as she comes close, shaking his head. "Nothing an afternoon of Magi Mari and some rest won't cure. You just remember that you need space and free time to think and make decisions for yourself, Hakuno. I told Da Vinci last night that you need a room away from Arthur and Gilgamesh... You all need space."  
  
He says the last bit a little louder, to make sure Arthur understands he doesn't need to spend all his time with Gilgamesh.

Arthur frowns a bit at that. The man is both right and wrong. They do need space, but Hakuno doesn't need to be away from them. She needs mana from them, or she'll become weak and sickly, as she did in the days leading up to her death.   
  
No, best not to think about that. Not right now. Not with their wife's reincarnation standing right in front of him.   
  
"But I like spending time with Arthur and Gilgamesh. I'm making my own decisions, Romani, and I want to stay by their side." Hakuno argues, hugging the man tighter. It should be her own decision if she needs space from Gilgamesh and Arthur or not.

"Hakuno..." Romani looks at her a moment before shaking her head. "I know that the summoning makes one feel a bond with their servant. Gudako is doing the same thing with her servant. I just want some boundaries in place to keep you both from getting carried away or bothered by one another. That's all it is. It's more to prevent cabin fever."  
  
He doesn't know what the other's expression is about, but he hugs Hakuno a little more before pulling away.   
  
"It's late though. Make that golden boy sleep. He's been working poor Da Vinci to the bone."

She doesn't think she could ever get bothered by Arthur or Gilgamesh. Romani is being a worrywart again.   
  
"I will," Hakuno promises as she glances over at Arthur for a moment before returning her attention back to the doctor. "Gilgamesh and Arthur are good people, Romani. They're nothing like the stories I've read about. I think we can trust them." Her eyes meet Romani's. "I don't think they would ever betray us or harm us. Maybe the stories were wrong about them both. I-I truly believe that they're kind and loving, not like the tyrants I read about."

"You never can tell..."   
  
Romani sighs though. He gives Hakuno a good pat on the head and motions her to head out.   
  
"I'll try to put some trust in them since they are your servants. Remember you do have command spells, but be sure to use them wisely. Gudako's found that the regenerate for some reason, but her mana is drained well from using one to make David give her hugs before bed."

Hakuno can't help but smile at that. Of course, Gudako would use a command spell for something like that, she thinks to herself as she glances down at her own command spells. She doesn't want to use them on her Servants at all. Only as a last resort type thing.   
  
"Alright, Romani. I'll remember that. Get some rest, you've been working hard." Hakuno tells Romani, taking Arthur by the hand and leading him out the room, closing the door behind him.   
  
"That went well. I think he'll learn to trust you both." She hopes he does anyway, they all need to trust and rely on each other if they're going to save humanity.

"We'll earn his trust slowly, I think."  
  
It'll be painfully slow since Gilgamesh wasn't one to trust too many people these days. He might have to help work the man over a little, sway him into listening to at least some of the-  
  
 _Again, I find you thinking about how to tame and temper me. It is funny that this is coming from someone who has hoarding tendencies. Should I share the wealth, so to speak? I have been being very careful about your behavior, guiding you towards being reasonable. I can stop,_ Gil warns.  
  
 _I'd rather you didn't,_ Arthur thinks back.  
  
"Slow is still earning trust," the woman beside him points out. "Romani is a great person. I think you both would get along."   
  
The woman is holding his hand nicely, looking at it before those eyes turn to him. "Should we try training tomorrow, if everyone is alright with it? I want to build up my mana and be a better master for you and Gil. The training grounds will be really helpful. I've heard they were built for Team A, but since they're gone and we're partners…"

"We could," Arthur replies, attempting to ignore the urge to kiss the woman. She can't know about his hoarding tendencies or his libido. Maybe when she's an adult. For now, he allows the woman to lead him along. "As long as you don't overwork yourself, Hakuno."  
  
He has no self-control, this is difficult. Maybe some training will do him so good. Swing Excalibur around a bit to relieve some tension.   
  
Arthur swears he hears Gilgamesh snort at that thought.   
  
"I was going to offer to build mana with you if you're interested. I was a bit nervous earlier. I did not mean to upset you, Master."

"You didn't! I just thought you- ah, that is." Hakuno can't help but to laugh a little, shaking her head. "I thought you hated me, to be honest. I'm not really strong like Gudako is and I'm not what anyone would think of when it comes to a master. It's probably more like training with your daughter or son than anything."  
  
She needs to stop. It's too bad she can't help herself.  
  
"Gilgamesh and you seem so close. I'm going to work with you both to be kind of like that. These command spells are more to help us in case we're separated rather than anything else. I don't like the idea of bossing you around."

"No, no! That's not it at all." Arthur promises, stopping in the middle of the hallway, and taking both of her hands into his own, his eyes stare into those brown eyes of hers.   
  
God, he really messed things up, didn't he?  
  
"I like you more than you know, Hakuno. I just-" How to explain this... "I have bad self-control. I'm afraid if I kiss you for too long, I'll do something I'll regret. You're not an adult yet... I couldn't live with myself I ended up hurting you accidentally." He leans his face closer to hers. "You're my one and only Master. You're the one I want by my side, Hakuno. You and Gilgamesh."

"You can just talk to me." Hakuno cups his face as he gets close, kissing his nose. "I like being told this, even if I wouldn't mind kissing you for a long time. I don't think a little kissing has ever hurt anyone."  
  
She pulls back, shaking her head.   
  
"Let's just communicate enough that it's more like you with Gilgamesh. I want to be able to sense what you want and what King Gilgamesh wants too. I want people to wonder if I can read minds because I know you both so well. Give me a few months and then I'll be an adult. I am considered an adult in most things anyway."   
  
The command spells are supposed to be for adults only. Since they're on her hand, she's an adult. She can make decisions for herself and she can do whatever she wants.

She's so innocent. He can feel his face heat up as he thinks about how cute and innocent she is.   
  
"I'd like that, Hakuno," Arthur admits, wrapping his arms around her, before pressing his lips to her forehead. "I wish to get to know you better. I want to learn about your likes and dislikes, what your hobbies are, what scares you so that I can protect you from anything that scares you or makes you nervous. I'll be your knight, Hakuno."   
  
He wishes she was an adult already, it would make things so much easier, instead of tiptoeing around the subject, he could show her how much he loves this woman.

She can't help but to beam at him for that, resting her head against his chest. "...Your clothes and arms are so soft and comforting. You are so much better than my dreams had made you both out to be."  
  
The cuddling helps, but she can't just cuddle him in the hallway all day. She pulls back after a few minutes and nods towards the hallway.   
  
"Come on. We'll get Gil's coffee and maybe some snacks."

"You will have to tell me about your dreams at some point, Hakuno." Arthur smiles at her, as he laces their fingers together, leading her towards the kitchens. Gilgamesh will get annoyed if they're gone for too long. "I want to be able to live up to your expectations."   
  
She's more than likely dreaming about her past self's memories. He can only hope she's dreaming of happy memories of them all together. He and Gilgamesh said and did horrible things to their Hakuno when they were alive at some points. It's a wonder that she forgave them at all sometimes. His Master doesn't need to see that part of their lives together.

"I never dreamed much until last night. Usually, I have some thoughts about what I read, but it's normally just- the thought of the texts, not really vivid images and things like last night." Hakuno shakes her head, following him.  
  
Last night had really been something else. She had heard that baby cry, she'd seen Gilgamesh holding him up, blood everywhere, but the man had been so damn happy.   
  
"A-Arthur..." Hakuno glances over at him. "I know it's not really my place to ask, but- Were you there when the boy was born... Sian, I mean."

"I was and wasn't." Arthur laughs awkwardly. "It's a long story. Gilgamesh fought me and I ended up knocked out in the bedroom closet."   
  
He swears he can still feel how bad his head pounded once he awoke with one of Kiritsugu's guns in his face.   
  
_You're complaining because I kicked you a little? I was the one with the broken and bleeding hand, you fool._ Gilgamesh argues.   
  
Arthur rolls his eyes at that, the man still hasn't let that go after all this time.   
  
"I wasn't myself. I put your past self and Gilgamesh through quite a bit of pain and suffering for a good year or so." He waves his hand at her, feeling a bit embarrassed about the whole situation. "I swear to you, I'm not like that anymore! I would never hurt you, Hakuno."   
  
He still does get dark thoughts every now and then, but Gilgamesh is the only person aware of that.

_I am the only one aware of that. I intend to keep your talons clipped nicely too... so long as you keep my little habits contained as well,_ Gilgamesh replies.  
  
"It sounds like you needed to talk things out a little more. Fighting is the answer to nothing and there are rules around here. No physical fighting amongst Chaldeans." She wags her finger his way a little as they enter the kitchens. "I bet you felt bad once the babies were born. Sian was so cute and there was more crying. I remember there being cries in the background when I saw the baby in my dreams. How many did I- or- How many children were born then?"

_Maybe I'll tell Hakuno about how sensitive your lower back is_. Arthur teases Gilgamesh's way as he follows Hakuno deeper into the kitchens.   
  
He doesn't intend on fighting anyone here in Chaldea. That is unless of course, these people attempt to do something to Hakuno that he doesn't like, then that's when his stance on no fighting will change.   
  
"It's complicated. I did feel bad about not being there for the birth." Arthur replies. "There were three babies born. Ren was the girl from myself, and Aya and Sian were from Gilgamesh. Two girls, one boy. Sian had been a surprise, we were only aware of Ren and Aya." He still remembers how small they were in his arms once he could see again after his surgeries. He misses his babies being that small.

"Three?" Hakuno can't help the smile she gets. "I bet that had to be so cute. They had their own playmates."   
  
It's so awkward. She wants to hold and love them, but they aren't even hers. Her chest is aching for some reason, especially at seeing the out of touch expression on Arthur's face. He must be thinking about them.   
  
"So you and Gilgamesh had three kids?"

"We actually had nine." He laughs a bit, rubbing the back of his neck. "That's a long story too, but I can at least tell you their name. I'll go from oldest to youngest."  
  
He closes his eyes thinking about his herd of babies before beginning. "Ren, Aya, Sian-" There was another baby before his and Gilgamesh's babies, but Hakuno doesn't need to hear about that one. His Hakuno never got over that loss.   
  
"Nergal, Artorius, Tsuki, Ayaka, Yuri, and Owain." He takes a deep breath. He misses all of them terribly, but he misses Ren and Owain the most. Those were his babies from his Hakuno. Owain had her hair and her face. He was his baby boy. He was so shy like his mother too...

"Nine babies... That had to be the loudest holidays." Hakuno shakes her head a little. "I don't really like when the place gets too busy. It always feels like someone is left out. I normally try to celebrate things quietly with Mash and Romani most of the time. I used to try to get close to Kirschtaria and Marisbury, but- let's just say it never ended well."  
  
Gudako was new. She knew the girl well enough from their courses, but she didn't really know her too great yet. Mash adored her though. The girl was always running after Gudako in the halls and at mealtimes.  
  
Even now, she hasn't seen much of Mash since she became a demi-servant to Gudako.   
  
"I wish I could see pictures of them," Hakuno confesses.

God, she looks so sad looking up at him like that.   
  
It might not be a good idea for her to see pictures of their babies, it might trigger memories in her, but... He can't deny her when she's looking at him like that.   
  
"W-Would you like to see Sian? I have pictures of him in my gates." He wants to show her pictures of all their babies, but she seems the most interested in Sian. It makes sense, Sian was always her baby even after he grew up, and became king regent with Gilgamesh. "In exchange, can you perhaps tell me a little bit more about your life here, Hakuno? We tried to get Romani to tell us more, but you saw how that ended. He was only giving us breadcrumbs." Arthur explains as he opens a gate, and a small photobook falls from it.   
  
"This is exclusively pictures of Sian. You'll be able to see him from when he was small, to a grown man in this book, Hakuno." She'll probably figure out how much of a troublemaker the boy was really quickly as well. He misses the boy giving him backtalk whenever he asked him to do something. Something he never thought he would miss.

She is already reaching out for the book, moving to the kitchen table and eagerly opening the book. The chubby brunet baby meets her gaze, making her bounce in her seat and coo.  
  
"He's so cute! Look at that chubby baby face! He's like a little tomato!"

Arthur snorts as he moves to her side, looking over her shoulder as she looks through the book. He wishes Sian was here to hear that remark, he can almost hear the "Mother, please." coming from the boy as if he was standing right next to him and Hakuno.   
  
"He's a troublemaker, but he is a smart boy. He became king after Gilgamesh passed away."

"So cute," Hakuno tells him again. She turns the page, noting a picture of someone exactly like herself, maybe a little older. The woman is holding a chubby-faced baby in her arms, sleeping away in a tired Gilgamesh's arms as the man attempts to wipe her face off. There's no missing the birthday cake in front of them.   
  
"Since you had Sian and Ren and Aya... You must not have had a Mordred or Ur-Nungal."

"Ah..." Arthur starts watching her turn the page to see a picture of Sian walking towards Gilgamesh. The demi-gods face is lit up like a Christmas tree in happiness. "I did. Mordred was a knight in Camelot. I adopted her as my daughter. The boy you see in front of you is Ur-Nungal. Sian was his birth name, but Gilgamesh gave him the name Ur-Nungal as his royal name. He only liked to be called that if we were in Uruk though." Arthur explains.   
  
If he's being truthful, the boy is probably a Heroic Spirit since in this world, he is famous for being the son of Gilgamesh. He could more than likely be summoned here but... God, he isn't sure if he wants to deal with the complaining that Sian is only famous for living in Gil's shadow. They would never hear the end of it.

"Look at his face."  
  
Her hand is stroking at the picture of Gilgamesh glowing at Sian walking towards him.   
  
"He must have been so excited about Sian walking." She had never seen anyone look like that before. He is so exuberant over something so simple.   
  
Turning the page, she can see three babies this time, all three wearing yukatas. This time, Arthur is behind them, trying to fix robes and getting a kiss from one of the little girls.   
  
"These pictures are so cute, Arthur."

"They are. I miss them greatly." Arthur admits, settling next to Hakuno watching as she looks through the pictures. She looks so much like his Hakuno, he can't help himself as he leans over his hand holding the back of her head as he kisses her deeply for a moment, pulling back and smiling gently at her.   
  
"Anytime you want to hear stories or see pictures of the babies, just let me or Gilgamesh know. Gilgamesh will go on for hours about Sian if you let him." He loves that boy more than breathing, he swears.

"I want to hear all about them."   
  
She can't help it as she looks at him. She holds the book closer, cradling it in her hands as she comes to think about things a little more. She doesn't want to just hear about them, she wants to be like Hakuno in this book. She wants to hold the babies and watch Gilgamesh make those soft looks her way... and she wants to see this look she sees on Arthur's face now.   
  
More than anything else, she wants to be like this woman, to take over where she left off.   
  
"...Do you think Gilgamesh would want to look at these pictures with us?" Cuddling the two and looking at these pictures is too tempting.

"I think he would." Arthur smiles at her as he stands up. "I'll go make him his coffee, and we can finish looking at the picture of Sian tonight. Me and Gilgamesh will tell you anything that you want to know about the babies."  
  
This will be nice, they can bond as they did before: through the babies. Anytime they would fight or argue it was the kids that made them calm down and talk things out. When they were wee things, their cries would snap them out of whatever petty argument they were in.

"You said there were nine?" Hakuno follows after him, protecting the photo album at all costs as he goes about making the coffee. "What was that like? Were they all close in age or not really?"

"The triplets, Ren, Aya, and Sian are the oldest." Arthur begins as he turns the coffee machine on. "The twins Nergal and Artorius were born three years after the triplets. The quads Tsuki, Yuri, Ayaka, and Owain were truly the babies, they weren't born until Sian was around sixteen."  
  
He cringes at the memory of the quads being born. That whole week was a nightmare and a half. Hakuno being kidnapped by BB and Lucius, him forgetting Hakuno, to Gilgamesh dying.   
  
But the babies were worth it. His kids were always worth any pain that he went though.   
  
"Ren was a quiet girl. She studied magecraft like you. She was headstrong and kept her siblings under control. Aya... Well, think female Gilgamesh, and you have Aya. Albeit a tad more emotional than Gilgamesh." The girl would cry at the drop of a hat. She once cried because she lost her hair tie before...  
  
"And then you have Sian. He was like you a lot of the time. Quiet, shy, and kept to himself like Gilgamesh. He only had one friend, Amun an Egyptian boy." The poor boy died at the hands of Moses when he was barely twenty. Gilgamesh had to stop the boy from going on his own quest for immortality at his death. "But other times he was the spitting image of Gilgamesh in both attitude and looks. Since he was a king of Uruk, Chaldea properly has his Saint Graph on file." They probably have Gilgamesh's father on file too. Hell, they no doubt have his father on record as well.

"We should look later..."   
  
Her eyes follow Arthur's motions as the man turns and waits for the coffee to pour. It's all too easy to slip into his arms, cuddling against him and pressing a kiss to his cheek. "I'm sure you helped raise Sian really well. He probably was a daddy's boy."

Arthur wraps his arms around her once more, picking her up, and sitting her on the counter, he presses his forehead against hers, humming a bit at the feeling of her being so close against him. "He was. He was Gilgamesh's boy through and through. He wanted Gil's approval so badly on every little thing. Me and Sian butted heads a lot, but I loved him."   
  
He can hear the complaints now if the boy was ever summoned here. _"You allow this place to still be standing?! After what they have done to mother's descendant and her family?! You are truly worthless, father."_  
  
"You would like him, Hakuno. He was always fond of your family."

_He wouldn't be that bad,_ Gil's voice is now back, as calm as ever. T _he boy would probably complain that he was summoned after us and had to spend so much time without us around. There would be complaints about us not spending enough time with him in the afterlife. 'I haven't even found Amun yet and you made me be by myself?'_  
  
"I hope I can meet him somehow. Maybe there will be a singularity near your time that we can go to. We can fix the world and make a side trip so I can hold Sian in my arms."   
  
She'll spoil the boy in attention, cuddling him until she knew he was loved and cherished as much as he seems to be

_Ah, you're back._ Arthur replies I _'m making your coffee now. Hakuno wants to look at pictures of Sian and the other babies. She's interested in Sian greatly, Gil._  
  
"I hope you can meet him too, Hakuno," Arthur states, reaching up into a nearby cupboard and grabbing three cups down. "I don't want to pry, but do you understand the burden that you're taking on, Hakuno? Protecting humanity isn't as easy as it sounds."  
  
He has to know, he needs to know if she truly understands what she and Gudako has gotten themselves into.   
  
"I've fought King Solomon before. He's strong. Me and Gilgamesh barely defeated him and his Servant when we were in a grail war with him."

"I'm ready. All that I've done here in Chaldea is train and work on becoming a strong mage for fighting for humanity. There's been no holidays or birthdays or anything. It's all prepare for the war and the fights to protect humanity. Nothing else matters."   
  
She nods at her own words.   
  
"No matter what, I'll keep humanity safe, especially for those like little Sian."

That's sad. He doesn't think she realizes how sad that sounds.   
  
"Hakuno, protecting humanity is fine, I'll help you in doing that. I'll keep you safe. However, I'm also going to teach you how to enjoy living." He promises, the girl has never celebrated a holiday or a birthday before in her life from the sound of it. That's going to change. "You said your birthday is in three months, correct? Me and Gilgamesh will work on something special for you. You only turn eighteen once. We'll make up for all those birthdays and holidays you've missed while in this place."

"I mean- no one really celebrates those anyway. Life is about working and finding a means to survive and be happy. You make families or you protect families."   
  
Enjoying life sounded weird. She was doing just that already. Romani gave her books to enjoy and told stories that were different from Marisbury's own. Mash was her friend and Gudako was becoming a close and loving friend as well. She had two friends and a father figure. That was best.   
  
"Do you know much about holidays? I mean, I think there's just Christmas, right?"

Oh no.  
  
It's worse than he thought. Marisbury kept the girl hidden away here in Chaldea for so long, and didn't even bother to teach her basic things like different holidays, or how to celebrate her birthday properly.   
  
Even Morgana wouldn't be so cruel.   
  
"There's more than just Christmas, Hakuno." Arthur begins to explain, taking her hand into his own, bringing it up to his lips and kissing her hand gently. "There is New Years, where we celebrate the upcoming new year. There is Valentines Day, where you show the one you love how much you love them in the form of giving them sweets, or other presents. In your culture, Japan, there is Coming of Age day in January where those who have turned twenty go to celebrate becoming an adult."  
  
He still remembers dressing up the triplets in their kimonos, before sending them off to their ceremony. He remembers how much Hakuno cried that day.   
  
"There is also White Day in Japan when people give reciprocal gifts to those who gave them gifts received on Valentine's Day."

"Oh..."   
  
She might have to look into things later; at least about holidays. She knew about festivals, but they were supposed to be just gatherings for families and things like that. Or just- financial spending things.

"Maybe one day, I can steal you and Gilgamesh to Japan, and let you experience your culture firsthand."  
  
She deserves to at least see Japan with her own eyes, instead of through pictures and videos. Everyone deserves to see their homeland at least once in their lifetimes.   
  
"Romani told us that he had pictures of your family, and where your family lived. When things calm down, at least a little bit, me and Gilgamesh will sneak into the Command Room with you, and find them for you."

"That would be nice, although it's not really my home, is it?" She can't remember anything before being here. The pictures and things were neat, but steel wasn't all that exciting, even if they did make it move and look thin like those trees in the Clock Tower.   
  
"Maybe we can just focus on the festivals," Hakuno tells him

As Arthur begins to pour the coffee into the cups carefully, he realizes they have a lot of work to do with Hakuno. She doesn't sound too interested in leaving this place at all. Perhaps she's just scared of the outside world. He doesn't blame her. He would be too if he was this sheltered.  
  
"I don't know, Hakuno. I think it would be nice for you to at least see where you lived before you were stolen away to here. You have to be curious about what your father looked like at least."  
  
He presses his lips to her forehead again before handing her a cup of coffee. "I'll focus on whatever you want, Hakuno. I can tell you about the festivals in Camelot sometime. You would look beautiful in Camelot colors.”

"I wouldn't mind learning about Camelot... and if you find any clothes in Camelot colors, I really don't mind trying them on. Normally we just wear the uniforms since there's no real reason to dress up for anything other than the fighting and training. You don't really want to get grease or anything on nice clothes. Uniforms make it easy to just do whatever you need to do. It's why I always used to just tie my hair back in a knot and do my work."

"There is a lot of clothes in the gates that could fit you, Hakuno," Arthur promises. "I'll find you something nice to wear, and you can try it on for me tomorrow, i-if you want to."  
  
He brushes her hair away from her face. "You're my treasure, my Master. A gem that has been hidden away from the world for far too long. I believe it is time for you to shine as brightly as I know you can."

_Dork,_ Gilgamesh's voice snorts.  
  
Hakuno giggles at him, pulling his hand from her hair. "That sounded kind of dorky, King Arthur. You don't have to say things like that. I'm just a mage, a second rate one, but a mage no less. One day I'll be really good at fighting and be something to look proudly at, but that'll be when I have my own students to teach and when I'm old and wrinkly."

_Shut up, Gil._ Arthur hisses back. He was just trying to make her happy with his words.   
  
"I mean them though." Arthur argues, it seems no matter the timeline Hakuno will call him cheesy for speaking in knight talk. "Let's go give Gil his coffee before he gets cranky at us. He worked hard today repairing the electronics here in Chaldea, he deserves at least one coffee."

_Dorky, dorky,_ Gilgamesh tsks at him. I _'m not saying that you shouldn't have said it. I am simply saying that your words were absurdly dorky and no doubt have the girl either melting at your feet or giving you one of Hakuno's typical skeptical looks._  
  
"Yeah, we should probably get him some coffee now." Hakuno moves to the cabinets, pulling out a big mug and pouring the coffee and lots of sugar into the mug. She's pouring milk when she looks to Arthur. "Do you need anything to drink?"

_She called me a dork._ Arthur complains a bit. _You both just can't appreciate me being chivalrous towards you two_  
  
"I'll take some tea if there's any here," Arthur replies, watching as she makes Gilgamesh's coffee. "I'm not really much of a coffee drinker."

_I appreciate all that you do._  
  
"Tea... Right." Hakuno smiles, moving to the cabinets and pulling a box she'd been saving that was in the back. It takes some dusting off, but she shows the old box to Arthur. "Will this bagged tea work? I guess I brought it here when I first arrived."

_As do I Prince Charming. Which is why I'm allowing you a cup of coffee so late at night.  
_ Meanwhile, he stares at that dusty teabag his Master is offering him. He swears this is a replay of the first time he spent the night at Hakuno's home, she pulled this exact same stunt on him.   
  
...But he can't turn her down now. She went through all of that trouble to find him tea. He'll suffer through it and drink it, only because she's offering it to him. He'll show her how to make a cup of proper tea later.   
  
"That'll be fine, Hakuno."

_Oh gods, don't drink that. Bring the cup of hot water back here and I will give you tea leaves. Do not use that bag._ Gilgamesh's voice tells him.   
  
"Great." Hakuno smiles, opening the bag and frowning. "...Oh... I think this is bad... Do tea leaves last long?"

Arthur leans over and looks inside the bag. Gods, no matter where he goes his lovers can never keep good tea around.  
  
Thank goodness that Gilgamesh has tea leaves.   
  
"They do expire, Hakuno. It's alright, Gilgamesh probably has some tea leaves in his gates. I'll just take the cup of hot water to our room, and have him give me some leaves." He pats her head a bit. "Thank you for trying, Master."

"A-alright."   
  
The girl looks a little out of sorts, but he's not sure what else to say. She'd tried her best. The box looked like it had been untouched which, in a big place like this, probably meant that she had hidden it well. She'd tried to share her treasured tea.  
  
He presses a kiss to her temples as he pours himself some hot water from the sink.   
  
"Can you carry Gil's coffee? I'll carry this hot water."

"O-Okay." Hakuno picks up Gils coffee, before beginning to follow after Arthur. He doesn't look upset at her at all for failing to do something for him. That's strange. She isn't used to that. Normally, people like Marisbury berate her for messing up, he would tell her to be better. Instead, Arthur is being so kind...  
  
"I, um, only got those tea leaves because I heard King Arthur was Welsh, and Welsh people like to drink tea I learned that on the internet." It helped the Clock Tower was full of British and European mages as well. Tea leaves are easy to come by in that place

"A lot of people drink tea actually, it's not necessarily a Welsh thing. I know that the continent is pretty big on coffee, but I knew a lot of Irishmen and Japanese people that drink tea on the regular."   
  
Her own friend, Rin, had been pretty fond of the stuff.   
  
"You know, I know I mention Gil a lot, but the guy is really good at brewing tea. We could coax him into making a few blends to try. You could learn to be a great tea maker for fun if you want."

"That sounds like fun," Hakuno admits, she could learn how to brew tea for him and Gilgamesh. She could make them tea while Arthur cooked for them in the mornings.   
  
"We could drink tea together and look at more pictures of the kids." She could get to know each of their personalities so that if she ever meets them, she can cuddle them and shower them in affection as a mother should.

"We'll do that then."   
  
It'll be nice for her to become involved in something other than fighting. Even as they walk back, he can't help the small nagging feeling. Maybe it was mean to show her pictures of the children. They weren't really hers, per se. They were her original carnation's children.  
  
Was that wrong?   
  
_Ozymandias spoke volumes to his wife about the children of their first wife. Nefertari thought it was sweet. The gods themselves spoke of their children when I was younger. It's not that odd. You're just being_ _judgmental_ _based on our first life.  
_  
Gil might have a point there. Still, he's not sure. Hakuno is carrying the album carefully as she holds the mug of coffee as well. She waits for him as he goes to open the door and smiles as she enters their room.  
  
"I brought you coffee, Gil!"

"You are back, I see." Gilgamesh greets the woman, as she holds out the coffee cup for him. He takes it, taking a sip. The coffee beans...aren't the best, but it'll do if only because Hakuno made it for him.   
  
"This is suitable, Hakuno." He tells his Master, watching as her eyes all but gleam at his words. "I see Arthur was showing you pictures of my son." he motions at the album. "Let me make Mister Perfect his tea, and then I will go into more detail about the boy with you. Arthur is terrible at explaining such things."

How did he know Arthur was having tea and not coffee? They hadn't said anything about it and she was carrying a full cup of coffee.  
  
Hakuno watches Arthur bring the mug over, the golden king pulling a collection of items from his golden portals and slowly starting to put together a pouch of tea leaves. As he threads it shut, she looks between them.  
  
They have to be mind-reading or sharing a mind or something...  
  
Can they transfer thoughts? Are they reading her thoughts?!  
  
 _I think you're both really cute. Please tell me if you hear that._  
  
"Careful, you missed a spot there, Gil-"  
  
"I know how to prepare tea, Arammu," Gil argues, holding the teabag away from him.   
  
Okay. So they weren't mindreaders... still, it was weird.

"You must be really close to Arthur, if you knew that he wasn't drinking coffee, Gil." Hakuno hums, sitting next to Gilgamesh, watching him work.  
  
"Arthur is a simple man to figure out," Gilgamesh tells Hakuno with a shrug, earning a disgruntled noise from Arthur. "Again, he is a simple man. I know he hates coffee, but yet he returned with a mug. Obviously, he must want tea. Plus, he's British. They're obsessive about their leaves."

"You like tea too, Gilgamesh. Don't think I didn't notice you drinking it the entire last time that our mana was fully powered." He is pleased at the sight of the teastring dangling out of the mug and the smell of the fresh herbs wafting from the mug.  
  
Soon, he would have a good cuppa.  
  



	17. Gazing at a Cute Future in a Book

"Arthur said you could teach me a little more about teas. Do you mind teaching me? I think it would be nice to make your coffee and Arthur some tea in the mornings."

The small smirk that comes from Arthur's words fades as quickly as it appeared as he registers Hakuno's question.   
  
"Hm? You wish to learn about leaves?" He glances over at Arthur watching the man look far too happy about a simple cup of tea. "Don't let this man fool you, Hakuno. He is quite picky about his leaves. I will help you brew him a cup of his leaves in the morning. We will start with something simple, that both you and him can enjoy."

"Thank you!" Hakuno smiles brightly to him a moment before she cuddles against him. "I-I also wanted to know if you were okay with me looking at photos of your babies that you both have. Arthur pulled out a photo album and I was looking, but I just realized you may not like me looking at these."

Gilgamesh wraps an arm around his Master, using his free hand to sip at his coffee, smiling behind the cup. She is far too adorable, asking for permission to do something so simple.   
  
"I do not mind, Hakuno. My boy would whine at you cooing over him so, but he would consider you his mother as well."

"I-I don't know about that. I'm not really a mom. I don't think I have ever seen a mother, actually." She laughs a little, opening the album back up.

"If you have never seen a mother before, you could simply make my mother, Ninsun, your patron goddess," Gilgamesh suggests simply, his eyes falling to a picture of a small Sian in the midst of rubbing finger paint all in to Ren's hair. "I am aware that the Age of Gods ended in this world, but that doesn't mean you cannot make my mother your patron goddess. It is a simple process if you are ever interested in doing such a thing."

"I could? That would be nice. How do I have her as a patron goddess? Do I have to do any rituals or anything?"   
  
Having her own goddess sounds interesting. Since it's Gil's mom, she might have more stories about Gilgamesh that would help her and Gilgamesh bond too. That's something she definitely needs to go about doing. One way or another, she definitely needs to bond with him.

"Not particularly," Gilgamesh admits with a shrug. "You merely need to allow yourself to correspond with her. Meditating helps, I hear. Call out to her as you meditate and she will respond to you." He's sure the woman would respond anyway since it's Hakuno.

"What is meditating?"   
  
Was it like yoga and aerobics? She'd seen certain other members of staff do that kind of thing. If it was a kind of exercise that let people teleport to you, then she needed to learn that first.

"Meditating, Hakuno, is when one clears their mind in order to reach a heightened state of being. By clearing your mind of all thoughts, and letting yourself to simply be, and relax, you'll be able to speak with my mother." Gilgamesh explains, taking another sip of his coffee, savoring the taste.   
  
"I'll meditate with you whenever you are ready to speak with my mother. Tonight though, you were in the midst of praising my boy. I will accept all praise for raising that boy correctly, considering your father stated that I abandoned him." He scoffs at that thought. "Tell me Hakuno, does that boy look like somebody that has been abandoned?"

Was Sian a boy that looked abandoned- the question is almost insulting. The picture that she had opened the book to had Sian in the midst of getting a kiss from Gilgamesh and Arthur. The boy looked like he was in the middle of a smattering of kisses, giggling away with the biggest gummy smile she'd ever seen.   
  
"He's so precious, Gil." Hakuno leans against the king, beaming. "He looks like he was spoiled to the very tips of his toes. I love how happy he looks and how his sisters look."

"He is very coddled." Gilgamesh agrees nodding his head, she is giving suitable praise. "All of my children were raised in the best of care, was given the best education, and given anything and everything they needed or wanted. Don't let Arthur tell you that I was the only one spoiling our children either. He was right there with me, spoiling Ur, for example, Arthur practically leaped at the chance to forge the boy his own sword, and to teach him how to sword fight."

"He must have wanted to be a knight like his father." Hakuno smiles. "You both are so strong, I bet he felt he had something to prove too."

Something to prove. Right. That's one way to put it.   
  
"He merely wanted my approval. Something he has always had." Gilgamesh shakes his head. "if Ur was here right now, he would still be asking me about what to do and when." Right after he complained to them endlessly about him and Arthur leaving him all alone in the afterlife. "He is a stubborn child, but I suppose he gets that from his mother."

"He might be, but I'm not that stubborn." Hakuno smiles a little more, turning the page to the next selection of pictures. She smiles at the picture of the twin girls.   
  
"Arthur has said their names, but can you say them again? They look like girl versions of you both."

"The Green-eyed girl you see to the left is my little gem, Ren. Her royal name is Gula." Gilgamesh explains, pointing out Ren. He misses the girl bypassing her birth father, to run and greet him every morning.  
  
"The girl to the right is named Aya. She has no royal name since her name is of Sumerian nature. She is my little lioness." The girl was as proud as he is, only she wears her heart on her sleeve like Hakuno does.

His gem and his lioness. It reminds her of Arthur's comment about her being a treasure. Hakuno reaches for Arthur, pulling him back onto the bed and cuddling him close as they look at more. Her eyes are on the two girls for the moment.  
  
"What were Ren and Aya like, Gilgamesh?" She wants to ask if Camelot made them have royal names, but that sounds like something they would have mentioned.

Gilgamesh watches as Arthur's face turns pink as Hakuno cuddles him. The man seems to be using every ounce of his nonexistent self-control to stop himself from showering the woman in affections.   
  
_Poor Dragon_ Gilgamesh coos, as he moves closer to Hakuno, wanting to be as close to her as possible.  
  
"Aya and Ren were both strong women. Ren chose the path of a mage much like yourself. We refused to let her study at the clock tower, however. In our world, that dragon you're cuddling kept a close eye on the mages in London. Ren and Sian regularly ruled Uruk for me as they became adults. Ren is the daughter I trust the most out of all my children. She is reliable, smart, and cunning."  
  
As for Aya...  
  
"Aya had no ambitions to be a mage or a ruler. That doesn't mean she didn't have worth, however. She regularly kept an eye on her siblings, kept them out of trouble as well. She was highly interested in fashion. She no doubt could've sought a career in the fashion world had she not chosen to follow after her brother in Uruk."

"No wonder you both dress in such nice clothing. I bet Aya probably dressed you both up." That would have been so cute. She can almost picture the little blonde running after her fathers, tugging on their clothes and demanding to be dressed.   
  
Of course, they were doing the same thing to her, telling her not to dress in the uniform and instead to dress in this and that. She probably got the fashion interest from her parents.  
  
Ren on the other hand sounds a lot more like her. Although-   
  
"Why did you not want Ren to go to the Clock Tower? The Clock Tower is the greatest honor a mage can achieve. Turning them down is magecraft suicide."

"I didn't want Ren going to the Clock Tower, because..." How to explain this nicely, Arthur ponders. Realizing that there is no way to explain this situation nicely. "Because mages are corrupt, Hakuno. You, your past self's father, and Merlin are the only good mages that I have ever met. Ren studied magic under her mother, and my sister every now and then."  
  
He won't mention that Morgana kidnapped Ren when she was small, or that this Hakuno is most likely related to Morgana as well. She doesn't need to know all of that yet.   
  
"Mages only wish to reach the root, and will do whatever it takes to get to that point. The Clock Tower attempted to go against their king, me, and attempt to take my children and my wife away from Camelot, citing they showed magecraft to humans. Ever since that incident, my knights kept a close eye on London."  
  
Mages were worthless beings

"Of course. We're not supposed to show magecraft to humans. If your family was, it would be a heinous crime." Hakuno nods at his words. "It could lead to all-out warfare. They need to remain quiet and out of sight about their magecraft."  
  
"Ah, Arthur is being gentle," Gilgamesh doesn't hesitate to lean in, bringing the book closer as it remains open to a little Ren wearing her father's cloak and waving a drinking straw. "The mages he speaks of attempted to take your children to harm them, without care for their health and safety. The mana circuits were the only thing cared about. All the happiness you see in these pictures, they did not care about whether or not they wiped that away."

She doesn't like that thought. The babies in these pictures deserve to be happy. They most likely didn't have anything to do with what their parents did. She doubts the babies could show magecraft to humans...  
  
"H-How did you get them to leave you all alone? I imagine if you, Arthur, and the older me fought them, the Clock Tower would place a Seal Designation on you all and send Enforcers to kill you. Or at least, send the Lords of the Clock Tower to attempt to pacify you all."

"Well-"  
  
"Enkidu did a lot of work." Arthur supplies. "The knights as well. It was a simple week of negotiations. We remained around their headquarters and simply rattled their bars a little until they decided to agree."  
  
Gilgamesh shares a look with Arthur at the polite manner of explaining. Enkidu going King Kong with the noble crones and the knights blowing up half the damn buildings and showing them how little their magecraft could protect them against divine blessings from the Sumerian gods on Camelot knights with holy weapons had been a good wake up call.   
  
It had helped that they had invited Ereshkigal herself to walk down the halls and unleash the depths of the underworld upon the mages. They hadn't appreciated their unnatural reunion with mages long dead, especially when the mages dead had been burning and screaming in agony.   
  
"Mages can be reasoned with, given the right circumstances," Arthur tells Hakuno, smiling a little as he turns the page and lets Hakuno see another picture of the triplets as children.

"Oh. It sounds like Enkidu is a really kind and helpful person." Hakuno hums, looking at the picture of the triplets crowded around Gilgamesh as he plays a handheld gaming console.   
  
"They're so precious. I want to hold them in my arms." She shouldn't feel that way, should she? Those babies aren't truly hers, but regardless, she wants to hold them, tell them how much she loves them, and shower them in love and affection

"They would want to be in your arms for hours on end," Gilgamesh supplies. "Especially if you are warm. The only child of ours that enjoyed the frozen tundra that was Camelot was Ren. She was a snow pup while Aya and Sian would shiver away with me in the doorway after they reached a certain age. You could find the warmest place in the house by watching these three roam."   
  
"That is true, but they also enjoyed throwing a good snowball. They used to climb all over the knights if my knights were going out to do anything. They needed to feel included in anything happening around them," Arthur adds, surrendering to the need to hug the woman beside him.

"I love them." Hakuno states before she can stop herself, pressing her head against Arthur's chest.   
  
She does though. She doesn't even know what their voices sound like, but she loves them. The aching in her chest tells her that much.   
  
"I want to be like the older me." She whispers, her fingers stroking at a picture of the triplets and Arthur out in the snow all bundled up. "I want to pick up where she left off, and care for you both."

"Er," Arthur scratches at his head a bit. "We don't want to make you do anything like that. You are your own person. You should be able to make your own decisions and make your own path. You don't need to take on the responsibilities or duties of someone else."   
  
The last thing they need is for her to start down that path and find she feels differently.

"You're not making me do anything." Hakuno shakes her head. "I-I've cared about you and Gilgamesh since before I could speak English well. I want to." Her heart might shatter into a million pieces if she doesn't.  
  
"My dreams of you and Gilgamesh are all that has kept me going while I've lived here." She admits feeling her face heat up. "I-I've prayed to so many gods and goddesses that I could somehow meet you both. I care about you, Arthur. I care about Gilgamesh too."

Gilgamesh watches the girl blush a moment before nodding.   
  
"If that is what you want to do, then you should simply be ours and let that be it. We could always have you become engaged with us since you are too young to be truly becoming close in the manner that you are referring to."  
  
Gil-  
  
 _Leave her be,_ Gil thinks his way. S _he's young, but it may be best to allow her to stand at our sides in such a manner. Best to claim now and have her feel confidence in her choice than to cast doubt in her about our intentions and go through another mess of miscommunication. A four or five-month engagement means little in the grand scheme of things._

"Engaged?" Hakuno ponders that thought. "What does that mean? I want to be yours and you both to be next to me."   
  
She looks to Arthur and then to Gilgamesh. She would like that more than anything if they cared about her in the same manner she cares about them.

"Engaged means that you want to claim someone for yourself," Gilgamesh explains. "You wear a symbol of them being yours somewhere on your person and the symbol is meant to be seen. Engaged means that you promise yourself to them in the future, then later, you marry."  
  
"Did the mages not teach you about engagements either?" Arthur frowns. Gil's explanation is okay, but she really needs to understand this fully.

Hakuno shakes her head. "I've never been in love with anyone before." Well, maybe with the exception of them both. "I wasn't allowed to talk to boys. Marisbury and Romani told me men are dangerous."  
  
She shakes her head. "I want that. I want to be engaged to you both and then marry you and Gilgamesh. I can stay with you both forever that way." She notices the expression on Arthur's face, her mood falling a little. "Unless you don't want to, Arthur. I don't want to force you into doing something, just because you feel sorry for me."

"I told you that I care about you. I just don't want to rush you into anything, Hakuno. I would love to be engaged to you... Just... Do you mind thinking about it carefully? Take a couple more days to know us and think about things before making your decision."  
  
 _What are you doing, Arthur?_  
  
Arthur glances at Gilgamesh. _I'm letting her make her own decision, not in the heat of the moment with a cute future in a book in front of her, but with time and patience. She needs to come to us because she has decided that she wants to, not because she has mana circuits from our wife and because she is caught up in how pretty we are._  
  
The man rolls his eyes before leaning in and pressing his lips to Hakuno's own.  
  
"Do as dragon suggests. Take a couple days to answer. He's holding himself back right now, Hakuno."

"I don't think my answer will change," Hakuno replies, her hand lingering on Gilgamesh's face. They must not realize how much, how deeply she cares about them both.   
  
"But, if that's what King Arthur wants, I-I can wait a few more days." She's already made up her mind, she's going to marry him and Gilgamesh. Nothing and no one is going to change her decision. "I'll let you both get to know me for a couple of more days."

"He likes nicknames," Gilgamesh offers.  
  
 _GIL!_  
  
"Nicknames?" Hakuno glances to Arthur. "What kind of nicknames do you like? Do you prefer to go by Art or Arty or... I don't know what other nicknames I could use for you." She thinks for a moment, trying to think of other ways to put Arthur's name shorter.

Arthur can feel himself blushing. What an asshole.   
  
"I-I don't really mind what you call me, Hakuno," Arthur promises pressing his lips to the top of her head. "As long as it's your voice calling me, I'm fine with whatever you come up with to call me by." He smiles as he glances over at Gilgamesh.  
  
"You should know, when we go to sleep tonight, Gilgamesh like it when you rub the small of his back. It puts him right to sleep."   
  
He won't be the only one with his secrets exposed.

"O-oh." Hakuno smiles Gilgamesh's way, moving to wrap her arms around him before he can slip away. Her arms hold him close, her lips pressing to his shoulder. "I'll rub your back nicely, Gilgamesh! Every night!"

Gilgamesh groans slightly, glaring Arthur's way. "Well, since we are just going around telling everyone our habits. Hakuno, Arthur loves it when you treat him like the king he is. He talks about how knightly and chivalrous he is, but he loves it when you worship him and call him your king.”

"I may like being called a king after my hard work, but my love of that is second to your guilty pleasure for neck kisses. I swear, he loved fall, winter, and early spring just for the excuse to hide under scarves and tempt us to try to pull them off so we could kiss him into a mess, Hakuno."  
  
The two look ready to spill all their secrets about one another. Taking a look at them ready to fight, Hakuno can't help but begin laughing.   
  
"You both are so cute. It sounds like Gilgamesh likes all the physical stuff while you like verbal appreciation, Arty." Hakuno smiles to them both. "I can do that. I just appreciate when you both make me feel all warm like this."

"We are going to stay by your side, Hakuno," Gilgamesh promises leaning in his face close to hers. "We'll come to learn your habits as well. What makes you happy and sad, what brings you pleasure, and what things about this world you hate. I intend to learn every single thing about you."  
  
He doesn't care if the dragon desires to or not. The man can hold himself back all he wants to, he, however, is not going to deny himself the pleasure of having Hakuno by his side once more. He pulls the girl close to his side, taking her and the album with him to the head of the bed, his head meeting the soft pillows.   
  
"You are mine, Master."

"Don't make us fight over her," Arthur argues, climbing to them both and pulling Gilgamesh onto himself so he can hold them both in his arms.   
  
Without thinking, Arthur presses his lips to Hakuno's cheek.  
  
"I love you."

Hakuno freezes. Her eyes wide as she looks up at Arthur.  
  
No one has ever said those words to her before. She's only heard those words spoken in films, but never to her. She knows you're only supposed to say those words to someone that you truly care about. You can't take them back once you've spoken them out loud either.   
  
"You love me, Arthur?" Hakuno cuddles closer to the man, her heart is racing. "Y-You love me.." she whispers. As if she can't believe he just said those three words to her.

Damn it all. He had meant to say that he liked her. He'd meant to say something soft and not gung-ho into something deep like that. It's her-  
  
 _Stop thinking and just cuddle her. She's Hakuno. Slightly altered, but still the same woman._ Arthur feels Gilgamesh ruffling at his hair, the man getting comfortable atop him. _Either accept that you'll say and do the same foolish things as before or simply surrender her to me. Either way, I will treat her little different than before._  
  
"I..." He takes a breath, steeling himself up. "I love and care about you a lot, Hakuno. You are a sweet and caring woman and I can't help myself when you smile and care for me like you've been doing these past couple of days."   
  
Gilgamesh closes his eyes as he glances the man's way. A soft hum is drowning out the mess he's thinking about.   
  
"As I said before," Arthur murmurs. "Just think about the engagement a couple of days, both the benefits and the downfalls, Hakuno. We would like to be engaged to you, but we want you to choose us, not to be stuck with us."

Leaning up she doesn't hesitate to press her lips to his, smiling at him before she cuddles as close as she can to Arthur, closing her eyes.   
  
He loves her. He said so himself. She's pretty sure Gilgamesh might feel the same way about her too.   
  
"I love you too, Arthur." She murmurs back. "I think my mind is already made up though. I would choose and Gilgamesh over everything in this world. I'm going to stay next to Gilgamesh and you.”

_She needs to take her time._ Arthur thinks. _If only because she is young and will be prone to second-guessing some of her decisions. She needs to take her time and think about this carefully._  
  
Gilgamesh is brushing at her hair though, telling her to go to sleep. Those red eyes are watching her with far too much pleasure.

She's so tired. She slept most of the day and is still somehow tired. She needs to get her mana up. Kissing them to get mana is nice, but there must be another way for her to become strong quickly.   
  
"Goodnight, Gil, Arthur. I love you." She tells them one last time, before finding herself drifting off to sleep against Arthur. It felt good to say those words to her Servants. She likes saying those words out loud.

_Well, that was rude._  
  
Arthur gives the softest snort, glancing to Gilgamesh. The man's frown is deeper than ever at watching their master go to sleep. He can't help but to smile at that face.   
  
_You didn't say it back, baby,_ Arthur thinks to the man. _If you had, she probably would have said it to you as well._  
  
 _I have no need to say such things. My feelings and thoughts are obvious._  
  
His hand moves to the small of the golden king's back, stroking gently only to see the man shiver. His eyes meet those red ones, admiring the color. His prickly king consort; naturally, he would think that someone, as sheltered as Hakuno, would know how to read the emotions of a man when she had never really met a man before.   
  
_You think too loud.  
  
You were quite noble today, fixing all the equipment. I'm sure I'll be impressed when I see how much things have improved._

_As you should be. You have no idea what I went through fixing the equipment for these fools. Listening to that doctor and the Fake Vinci speak about Hakuno in such a demeaning manner._ Gilgamesh thinks back, pressing himself against the man more, his eyes glancing to Hakuno for a moment, before finding himself getting lost in those deep green eyes of the other mans.  
  
 _If I am being noble, then you are clinging far too tightly to your knightly values. The last thing we need is for our woman to go crying to our Hebrew friend because she believes you have broken her heart._

_I won't be breaking her heart. If anything, she's walking on cloud nine right now. She looked so proud of being told I love you. It reminds me of the first time that I said it to you.  
  
_ He'd almost expected her to start denying it, but she was still Hakuno. She welcomed the statement as she always had.

Gilgamesh snorts. _I highly doubt that I looked like a deer stuck in the headlights, as Hakuno did. I doubt she has ever heard such words from anyone before, given what we've seen of this wretched place._  
  
Speaking of...  
  
 _We've barely begun to scratch at the surface of the secrets this place holds, Arthur. The Hebrew was lying to us earlier. He knew exactly what Servant Marisbury had. If we can determine who that Servant was, I am certain this place will begin to make sense._

"Get some sleep, for now, Gil, _"_ Arthur murmurs, kissing the man's forehead. "Tomorrow we have training with Hakuno. I want to make sure she eats enough and gets her rest."  
  
His arms surround the man before he closes his eyes and allows sleep to press in. Tomorrow would be another day.


	18. Jumping Into Septem

It happened much quicker than Romani was expecting. Damn it all, he and Da Vinci haven't even properly analyzed the Grail Gudako and Hakuno brought back yet before the singularity formed.   
  
They've barely had time properly rest yet. He had wanted Gudako and Hakuno to train with their Servants more but...   
  
He turns to Mash. The demi-servant is trying to sleep in the chair next to him. The poor girl is no doubt still tired from their adventure in Fuyuki. "Mash." He calls. "I need you to go wake up your Master and Hakuno. We're rayshifting to Ancient Rome."  
  
The girl instantly snaps herself awake, bowing to him lightly, before running off.

* * *

_"Hakuno! You can't go inside!" She hears Arthur's voice. "Lucius will kill you! Stay here with Enkidu while me and Gilgamesh take care of him!"  
  
She isn't listening she pushes past Arthur, to see the blond hair boy Sian shoved out of the elevator first, Gilgamesh stumbling behind him before he falls.  
  
He isn't breathing. She can't breathe, can't think, it feels like all of the life is being sucked out of her body when-_  
  
"Gilgamesh!" She exclaims, sitting up only to realize that she's in her room in Chaldea again, she looks over to the two kings sleeping soundly next to her and breathes out a sigh of relief.   
  
It was just a dream.   
  
She wishes she could go back to not having dreams if these were the kind of nightmares she was going to have.

The sound of his name has him stirring. Hakuno winces as she sees Gilgamesh moving into action, pulling her under him and glancing around. His eyes move to hers, his gaze narrowing.  
  
"...You called for me?"  
  
"I-I was just having a nightmare."   
  
That doesn't seem to move him back though. Gilgamesh leans in closer, his forehead pressing to hers.   
  
"It was just a nightmare-"  
  
"What happened?"  
  
She shakes her head at him.   
  
That's not something she wants to talk about with him right now. She can still see the blood pouring from his gut, the look of horror on Sian's face as the young man so much like Gilgamesh tries to get to him. She can hear someone calling for Gil louder in her mind, sobbing like they had lost a piece of their soul.   
  
No, she doesn't want to speak of it. She presses her face to him instead, clinging to him tight.   
  
"You're not allowed to die, Gil. Never”

"Die?" Gilgamesh presses his lips to her own. "It is a bit late for that, I am a Heroic Spirit. But, I do not intend to leave your side, Hakuno. Whatever you dreamed of, whatever happened inside of that dream, it doesn't matter. I am right here next to you. Nothing will be able to take me from you, not even death."   
  
That statement had been true, after all even in death he found his way back to his moon girl.

Hakuno hums, trying to pour mana into the man to start off the day. He needs energy. She needs to make sure to take good care of him so that nothing happens. Same with Arthur. Her arms wrap around his shoulders, pulling him in closer.

Arthur stirs awake at the feel of Mana floating around. His eyes go to Hakuno clinging to Gilgamesh.  
  
It still feels so early. What are they doing awake?  
  
"Is everything alright? You both should be getting more rest."

"Hakuno dreamed of me dying," Gilgamesh tells him, cuddling closer to his chest and pulling a now flush-faced Hakuno with him. "And now she's trying to drain herself of mana."

Arthur can only think of one instance where Gilgamesh died... Hakuno died before them both, she thankfully was never left alone after they managed to give Gilgamesh a human body.  
  
"Hakuno, love," Arthur mutters brushing a hand through her hair. "It was only a dream. We're right here with you. You don't need to drain yourself of all your Mana. You need your strength as well."

"I wasn't draining myself on purpose!"   
  
These two are babying her. Goodness, but she doesn't need that! They should be focusing on their mana and energy!   
  
"I am trying to make sure that Gilgamesh stays in great shape with his mana levels. I want to do the same thing for you in a minute, Arthur. Mana is important for training. And I know it was a dream, I told Gil that!"

"Forgive me, Master, I wasn't attempting to make you upset," Arthur tells her smiling weakly. "We appreciate everything we do for us, we are just concerned about your health."  
  
Ah, that didn't sound good either.   
  
"Let me try that again. If you want to give us mana, Hakuno. We will not turn you down. Just don't push yourself too hard."

"I know. I just-" Hakuno looks between them before sighing. "I might have been getting carried away."  
  
"You were," Gilgamesh agrees. "Watch your mana flow, Hakuno." The man is climbing to his feet, pulling away from them both and going to speak when the door is being pounded on.   
  
"SINGULARITY! HAKUNO! WE HAVE TO GO! GET RULER!"

Singularity?! Already?! They have to go!  
  
"I'M RIGHT BEHIND YOU!" Hakuno shouts to Mash, quickly getting out of bed, and pulling her clothes off, to get changed into her uniform.   
  
"I-I don't like this," Hakuno tells the pair. "But we have to go, Gudako, Mash, Romani, and Da Vinci need our help.

Just when they were making progress. Arthur pulls himself from the bed, grabbing his clothes and moving to get to the bathroom. Gilgamesh is snapping his fingers to change, moving to Hakuno's side as she pulls out a uniform to put on.  
  
"You should wear something from myself and Arthur, since you are going into the fray." The man pulls Hakuno's ring necklace from the gates. "It is not the same as wearing rings on fingers, but you can keep this worn beneath your jacket. There is some spare mana in the necklace's rings."

Hakuno stops for a moment, taking the necklace in her hands, noting the Japanese and other strange characters on the rings. She can spot her name on onw of them. She'll have to look at the rest when they get a moment to breathe.   
  
"I love it, Gil. It's so beautiful. C-Can you help me put it on? I've never really worn jewelry before."

"I would, but since I have given it, it seems like a job for English." Gilgamesh throws him a smirk before heading to the door.   
  
_Thanks a lot, baby,_ Arthur stares after him a moment before moving to Hakuno's side.   
  
_It felt like something you would enjoy._  
  
"Let me help you get the necklace on," Arthur pipes up. He moves to pull the familiar necklace from her hands, carefully moving behind her. "Can you lift your hair a moment? We'll slip this on and let it hang under your jacket and shirt so that it's safe from falling onto the ground. It can hang against your chest and give you a piece of us to hold even when fighting."

Hakuno nods, lifting her hair up enough so that he can do what he needs to do as she slips on her shoes.   
  
Once she feels the cold rings hit her chest she can't help the blush that paints her cheeks, she brings her fingers up to her chest, feeling the rings before turning around to face Arthur, smiling up at the man.   
  
"How do I look, Arthur?" She asks. It's strange, she feels more complete wearing these rings. She doesn't quite understand that either.

"You look like you're ready to take on a singularity and help Gilgamesh and I protect humanity with these Chaldeans." He leans in for the briefest of kisses before motioning to the door. "After you, Lady Pendragon."

Lady Pendragon.   
  
She smiles at that name before running off, making sure to tuck the necklace underneath her shirt and jacket as she does so.   
  
Sighing in relief as Hakuno runs into the command room with those two troublesome Servants of hers, Romani stands up.   
  
"Thank goodness you're here, Hakuno. Gudako just arrived a few seconds before you did. I won't have to repeat myself twice this way."  
  
He can hear Da Vinci laugh at that statement, he resists the urge to roll his eyes meanwhile.   
  
"Right. The singularity point Gudako and yourself are going to is ancient Rome. The teleport point we're setting up now is the Imperial Capital Rome"  
  
"That sounds fun." Da Vinci hums. "I'd like to go with them."  
  
"You have analyzing do." Romani reminds Da Vinci. "You can partake in the Roman lifestyle another time." He shakes his head. So many troublesome Servants in one place. "The location of the Holy Grail is unknown. There may be historical changes to the Rome we know as well."

"We're going to Rome?" Arthur pales a bit.   
  
Thank God that Gilgamesh had placed claim on Hakuno. If that guy was-  
  
 _I don't see anything on the screen that would indicate that you would encounter him._ Gilgamesh's voice softly drifts through his thoughts. _The books I read had a different time than what I see on the screen.  
_  
"Let's stop wasting time. Gudako. Hakuno. Let's get moving. I assume Shielder is coming?" Gilgamesh motions them towards the rayshift, expression as neutral as ever.

"Of course I am coming, King Gilgamesh." Mash replies, following Gudako and Hakuno into the rayshift room. "I have to protect my Master since we're not sending David with us this time. Only if we need backup."   
  
"Yeah, it'll be nice to have someone to send in after us if things start to go to shit," Gudako states in agreement. "Let's go baby mage. Let's get in our pods." Gudako grins as Hakuno sighs at being called that nickname again, following after Gudako. "  
  
"Now, I'm going to warn you all, that there will be other Servants summoned to Rome by the grail. Unfortunately there is no way to determine if they will be hostile towards you all or not. Even if we used Sheba and Trismegistus, we can only detect the Servant's True Name and class. Even if you somehow lose contact with us, Ruler Gilgamesh and Ruler Arthur can provide you with that information, thanks to the special nature of the Ruler class."

_I have this bad feeling that he's going to be there.  
_  
Gilgamesh rolls his eyes, watching the machines kick up and listening to Da Vinci talk them through more of the logistics as Hakuno and Gudako climb into their devices. The room is shifting, the gray and blue walls flashing a moment before color floods the world around them.  
  
A second has them in Chaldea. Two has them in the middle of a field with a slowly forming Gudako and Hakuno.  
  
"That's still so strange," Arthur murmurs next to him.  
  
"I agree, Ruler... ah- I mean- Arthur." Mash smiles sheepishly. "It's so weird to rayshift."

Hakuno hears Gudako groan as she stands up looking around at the bright green fields around them. The air around them is so much different than the air she breathes in Chaldea.   
  
"I don't think I'll ever get used to the weird sensation when we rayshift." Gudako complains, looking around. "Everything feels so real here, even though we aren't really here."  
  
Hakuno nods in agreement as she finds Gilgamesh and Arthur before taking them both by the hand. "I'm glad the rayshift went okay. I always get a little nervous when we rayshift."

"I don't know why you'd bother to get nervous. Da Vinci and I were meticulous, despite the woman's complaints and lack of ability to make a proper caffeinated drink." Gilgamesh pulls the woman close, hoisting her up and placing her on Arthur's shoulders.   
  
"Which direction, Old Mage?" Gil asks Gudako, glancing in her direction.

"I er, don't know," Gudako admits, ignoring the man's teasing. They're supposed to be looking for the Grail and what's causing the Singularity.  
  
"Romani," Gudako calls. "What century are we in? What abnormalities are we supposed to be looking for?"   
_  
"You're in 1st century, during the reign of Nero Claudius. Despite being poisoned last year, he's not in decline at all. Make your way to Rome. We positioned you both pretty close. It should only take a day for you all to get there should you keep heading east. The Rome that should await you is where the emperor is loved by his people and is prosperous."_ Romani explains, looking over the status of the two Masters health. Everything seems to be alright for now. _"If anyone would have the Grail, it would be the emperor. Go see Nero, and ask him for help. Reason with him, and explain our situation, Gudako. Perhaps he'll give the grail up to us easily."  
_  
That's too easy. It most likely won't happen, but they can learn more about this world if they do this.

The world around them is too quiet.   
  
Gudako is chattering away with Mash and Hakuno about their plans for negotiation. The moment that the screen goes off, it seems that the three of them have to come to some kind of arrangement. Gilgamesh meanwhile-  
  
 _I tire of walking, I'm thinking of pulling out Vimana.  
_  
Arthur stares at the path ahead of them, the green grass as colorful as their lawn tended to be in the front of their home.   
  
_Arammu, you should answer me when I direct thoughts your way. I am bored of walking. The mongrels speak too much. I'm going to summon Vimana so that I can cease this endless walking simulator and do something productive._  
  
 _You're going to play phone games, aren't you?  
  
Well... I am ahead of Mari at this point._  
  
"Arthur?" Hakuno leans over before he can answer, frowning. "Is something wrong?"

"It's nothing." Arthur shakes his head. "Just a bad feeling."   
  
It's too quiet here. Romans were known for being loud, if they were that close to Rome, they should be able to hear Neros people from here.   
  
He has a feeling that Nero isn't the Emperor in this world at all.   
  
"Hakuno, Gilgamesh has a way to get us to Rome faster. I'm sure you, Gudako, and Mash don't want to walk that far. We could get to Rome in half the time it would take us if we just walk there."   
  
He just wants to know what hell is waiting for them once they step foot into Rome, if he's being honest.

"You have a faster way to Rome?" Hakuno glances to Mash and Gudako.  
  
"That might not be smart," Gudako points out. "We could be faster, but we don't want to mess with the time any more than we have to. It might mess something up. What do you think, Mash?"  
  
Mash frowns, thinking. "Maybe if it was a horse or something…"

Gilgamesh groans. "I tire of walking. If there are any abnormalities then this timeline shouldn't exist in the first place, correct? Then it should not matter if we mess with time. We are cutting this timeline down like a tumor at the end of it all anyway."  
  
The mongrels are going about this the hard way. They could simply go into Rome and convince the fool an emperor to give them the grail. If they do not, kill the man or woman, and take the grail for themselves.   
  
_Baby, we should just play by their rules. Hakuno isn't in charge here. Gudako is the leader.  
_  
 _Then it is the blind leading the blind._ Gilgamesh points out. T _hey need someone with actual leadership abilities leading this Dragons &Dice party. Lucky for us, we are both well equipped to do such a thing._

_That might be, but we need to think about what they want to do. If we're seen as a threat, we might be plotted against.  
  
_ Gilgamesh rolls his eyes at that. This isn't court with nobles and ulterior motives. They're mages.  
  
Gilgamesh pulls the gates open, letting Vimana come slowly out of the depths. His foot lifts, pressing lightly onto the golden ride a moment before he's settling into place on the seat. His eyes go to the surprised expressions of those near.  
  
"Since you do not wish to ride with me for the sake of authenticity, I'll leave you to enjoy yourself. Hopefully, Emperor Nero has a decent drink for us to partake in while we wait for you all."

Hakuno's eyes widen, before she runs to the oversized thing, struggling a bit before she manages to climb on top.   
  
"I'm coming with you, Gil." She tells Gilgamesh. If Gudako doesn't want to go, that's fine. She, Gilgamesh, and Arthur can scout ahead, and see what Rome is like, and who is ruling the place before Gudako gets there to help with negations.   
  
"Come on, Arthur. Let's go."

"Oh?"   
  
That's surprising. Here he was thinking that Gudako and Hakuno would simply remain together-  
  
"Oh no. If we're all breaking through the rules and making our own with a sweet ride, then we're all going to do it together. Screw the rules." Gudako is climbing on, making him wrinkle his nose as she helps Mash up and makes a comment about flames for the ship.   
  
_She's funny,_ Arthur thinks.  
  
 _She's about as funny as Sian dying my hair brown._

_To be fair, that was funny. You having to wear wigs to your meetings for six months was the highlight of that year._ Arthur snickers a bit as he climbs onto the ship, watching as Gudako and Hakuno take a look around.   
  
"This is amazing, Arthur." Mash states wide-eyed. "You and Gilgamesh are strong Servants. I hope to be as strong as you both one day."   
  
"I'm sure you will be, Mash. There is no rush, however." He pats at the girl's head. "Go at your own pace. You don't have to rush until you know the destination you're heading towards."  
  
"This is great, Gudako. We can stay together. Maybe we can have Gil drop us off near the entrance of Rome, to make it look at little less suspicious." Hakuno suggests, settling next to Gilgamesh.

"Romani said Rome is in the east." Gudako reminds the pair of Rulers. "We should go ahead and head there before it gets dark. I don't know about you guys, but I'd really rather not camp outside tonight."  
  
A warm bed sounds great right now. The air is too hot around here.   
  
Hakuno nods, wrapping her arms around Gilgamesh. "Then that sounds like a good plan. We can investigate Rome today, and see what the culture is like before we go confront the Emperor."

"I think we should stick to the outskirts of Rome today." Arthur glances at the group. "It might be best to get a lay of the land outside in case we run into trouble. It would be wise to play it safe than to go in and then find that we need to find our way out."   
  
Gil nods at the man's words.   
  
Things seem to quiet down as they drift through the air. His grip on Hakuno is remaining tight, waiting for the city to come close. His eyes close, his mind focusing...  
  
 _Servant. To the right. Saber class. Nero Claudius.  
  
Arthur, do you sense anything else?  
  
Trouble.  
_  
"Gudako! Mash!" Arthur moves to stand up, holding onto the arm of Gil's seat. "Get ready, we'll have to slow and attack."

Mash stands up nodding. "I sense them too," Mash tells the man. "I'm not sure how many of them are there, but I sense a group of enemies ahead. We should leave our Masters here, and go deal with them to keep them safe."  
  
"I can go with you." Gudako offers.

"Gilgamesh and I sense one. It looks like we'll be meeting our emperor sooner." Arthur reaches for Excalibur from the gates.   
  
"Hakuno and I will watch from above and pull you out should you fail." Gilgamesh offers. His arm tightens on their master a moment before Hakuno is shaking her head. She looks between the two.   
  
"I should be close to the fight like Gudako. If Arthur needs more power, I have to be there."

"I think Hakuno should stay with Gilgamesh," Gudako states, glancing over at Arthur and Gilgamesh. "If we need to contact Chaldea to pull out quickly, Hakuno can do that. She can also provide support from here. Hakuno is a better smooth talker than me."  
  
The younger Master smiles over at Hakuno before continuing. "Hakuno can feed me what to say to this emperor with Gilgamesh through our headsets. If things go wrong, her and Gilgamesh can swoop in like Anpanman, and get us out of trouble in a flash."

"Anpanman?"   
  
Gilgamesh shakes his head at her. He's not even sure he wants to know. His eyes go to Arthur instead.   
  
_Feign being Gudako's servant for this. I will run Vimana and hold onto our master. It may be best to keep Hakuno out of sight in case he is around here. If nothing else, it makes negotiations with Nero easier as well._  
  
Arthur would have groaned had anyone else heard the man. All the same, he still winces a little.   
  
"Alright. Let's go, 'Master'." He tells Gudako. "Mash, I'll be relying on you."

"Hearing you call me Master is weird," Gudako replies, shaking her head.   
  
"Be careful... Please, Arthur." Hakuno states finding herself unable to move because her other Servant is holding onto her tightly.  
  
"I will return here as soon as I can." Pressing his lips to Hakuno's he manages to give her a soft smile. "Stay here with Gilgamesh. You can watch him play his phone games."  
  
"Arthur, how are we going to get down from here?" Mash asks, leaning over the edge of the ship, feeling her stomach drop as she looks down.   
  
"We're going to jump," Arthur tells the demi-servant, picking up Gudako as she squawks about how crazy he is.   
  
"Follow after me, Mash." Before the girl can respond, the man jumps, taking a screaming Gudako with him.   
  
"Right!" Mash turns to Gilgamesh and Hakuno. "We'll be back soon!"

Gilgamesh moves to a landing space nearby, pulling the gates open and pulling out a nice large set of canvases.   
  
"Since those fools are going to be fighting and since we are out of the way up here, I think this would be a nice time to set up a base camp. You and I can enjoy the scenery and a good temperature for once."  
  
If Gudako is going into Rome and is going to be working with Nero, then him and Hakuno getting to relax out here is appropriate. Arthur will let them know if they're needed. If they aren't, then that's just that.


	19. Emperor of Roses

Hakuno is still worried, but one look at Gilgamesh's face tells him he's not. That relaxed expression he has as he offers to help her down from the ship, makes her heart rate quicken, as she hops down.   
  
"I can help you set up camp at least." It'll help take her mind of Arthur, Gudako, and Mash. They'll call for them if they need their help.  
  
The air around them is so warm, it's so different from being in Chaldea. The sun is incredibly bright too.   
  
"It's really warm here. I wish it was this warm in Chaldea. I've never seen real sunlight before, even in London it was always rainy."

"This is how it often is in Uruk, although our scenery is quite a bit better." The rods look to still have the color coordinating tape on the ends, a product of having a set of dragons before that would senselessly attempt to put things together.   
  
They were at least blessed with looks.  
  
"I would have us set up better accommodations than simple fabric and metal, but should we need to abandon this, it will be simple enough. It will also work to keep the rain out."   
  
Was it purple tape that went to the top part of the tent? Perhaps it was blue. There should have been a paper for this somewhere in the fabrics.

If the weather was like this in Uruk, she wishes she was alive when Uruk was a country. She would even take the cold of Camelot, anything would be better than Chaldea sometimes.  
  
"I don't mind," Hakuno promises, bending down to help him put the shelter together, beginning to shift through the fabrics a bit. "Camping with you will be fun."  
  
Doing anything with him would be fun. She could just listen to him talk, and she would be happy.   
  
Her eyes fall to a small piece of paper stuck in between the fabrics. She can't help but smile at the paint staining the paper, the small fingerprints are hard to miss.   
  
"Did your kids do this?" She asks, laughing a bit as she opens the paper. "Oh, it says the blue tape connects together, Gil."

"Hmm?" Gilgamesh glances over, sighing in relief at the sight of the familiar paper. "That would be the youngest two's handiwork. Ayaka and Yuri would paint the entire world if they had the opportunity."   
  
She had said the blue tape. Looking at the collection, he starts putting the blue taped ones together.

"Ayaka and Yuri," Hakuno states out loud. Those are pretty names. Whoever picked out their names had good taste.  
  
"You and your kids must've gone on a lot of trips together. Those must've been fun." Judging by the paint on the paper, the two girls must have taken paint everywhere with them.

"The youngest four were ornery." Gilgamesh checks the ground a moment, making sure it's sturdy enough before he begins driving the stakes in. A few minutes later, he's got four pillars and the frame coming into place. Another moment and he has the tarp overhead, with Hakuno helping on the other side.  
  
"The last four were born before an unfortunate incident. It meant that their younger years were filled with the aftermath of a grail war. You were intent upon keeping the family together. You even wept when Aya, Ren, and Sian had their coming of age ceremony. All you did was sob and cry, clinging to the babies and fretting that they would be hurt."  
  
His chaise is pulled before he grabs a blanket and settles into place. The armor is off, since there's no need for it at the moment. It's just them.   
  
"Thankfully, you saw reason. Aya went to Camelot. Ren and Sian went together to Uruk. As for the twins, Nergal and Artorius both decided to keep to their own aims."

Hakuno wastes no time in sitting next to him, as she ponders his words.  
  
It sounds like her older self truly loved her babies and family more than anything. She can understand that she already loves Sian and the other babies, and she's only seen pictures of them.  
  
"A grail war? That sounds like a dangerous thing to participate in when you have babies..." She's heard mages send their children to another country when they participate in a Grail War. "D-Did they get hurt?"

"There were a few close calls, but they were fine. Aya was adamant about protecting the babies and kept her lover close since they were more of a fighter than she was."   
  
Enkidu's spawn being with the child was more than he had wanted from Enkidu's kin, but there was little he could do about it, especially now.   
  
"You should speak of Chaldea."

"Chaldea?" Hakuno hums a bit, meeting those pretty red eyes Gilgamesh has.  
  
"It's not as exciting as your life, Gil. I've lived in Chaldea ever since I was ten. I went through a lot of surgeries once my circuits were donated, I mean-" she corrects herself, "Found. I tried to get close to my father, but unless I was showing improvements in raising my Mana, he didn't want to talk to me that much. He had Kirschtaria duel me regularly to see if I were paying attention in class."  
  
She hated that. Kirschtaria would always take things too far and then apologize later.

"He doesn't sound like much of a father," Gilgamesh drawls, pulling a bottle of wine from the gates and a couple of goblets. "Given, there have been far few father figures around, but a majority of them have been doting upon their children."  
  
He has a glass poured, offering it to Hakuno as he pats the space beside him.   
  
"Arthur invited you to see my phone games. I do have Destiny GO and Tension Impact if you would like to see. I have a feeling Mari will no doubt be playing if you want a rival."

Hakuno accepts the glass, sitting down next to the golden king, taking a sip of the drink inside of the cup.   
  
It's sweet. She's never tasted anything like this before. She takes another sip before speaking.   
  
"You play video games?" She smiles at him. "I didn't think you were the type to play video games." Aren't kings supposed to be serious, and seek happiness through their people only?  
  
That's not really a fair comparison though... Arthur and Gilgamesh are so kind. It's only natural that they would enjoy simple pleasures like she does.   
  
"I'll watch you play. I-I'm not really good at video games." Romani and Gudako always beat here with they would play shooters or fighting games together.

"I play a variety of games," Gilgamesh replies. "A proper king should know how to entertain and destress from his duties. A king doesn't live for his people, a king lives with his people."   
  
The statement is one he's probably said a thousand times before, but it seems he is cursed to say it again and again. His arm wraps around Hakuno, pulling her in and settling her against his chest. The phone he had, pulled from the gates and attached by a wire to a signal booster from his gates, is fired up, showing a blip from a familiar magician of his.  
  
"It would seem Mari is up and ready for playing. Shall we do Tension or Destiny?"

"Hmmm. Tension looks fun." The cute anime girl on the app is her reasoning for picking it.   
  
She watches him boot up the game, watching as the logo for Tension Impact appears on the screen.   
  
"Who is Mari, Gil? Are they your gaming friend?"

"Mari was your mentor. She taught you magecraft in your original life." Gilgamesh shrugs a little. "You have read about Merlin, I am sure. Mari is his sister. Think just as flighty and just as troublesome, but she at least lets you know that you're going to be getting into trouble when she is around... most of the time."   
  
He pulls up the message box and types a quick 'hello from a king and his woman' to the woman.   
  
"If you would like, we could see about maybe getting in contact with her about your magecraft."

"Merlin has a sister?" That's not something she thought she would ever hear someone say.   
  
But Gilgamesh is telling her that Mari could help her increase her magecraft abilities... That could be helpful to them all if she could learn how to do more offensive or defense spells.  
  
"If she would be willing to teach me, I would like that very much," Hakuno admits, cuddling up against the man more. "I want to become stronger so that I can be more helpful to you all."

"Then you have no reason to learn."  
  
Learning for others. Arthur would have been coddling her, telling her that she was being responsible and generous. that was truly no reason to learn. Mari would whine and complain if she were told that was the reason.   
  
"Think of a better reason."

Think of a better reason? She frowns a bit. Isn't the whole point of learning magecraft was to benefit society in a positive way?  
  
"I want to be strong so that I can protect those close to me." Hakuno tries again, looking up at the man. "You, Arthur, Gudako, Mash, Romani, and Da Vinci. I can't protect or provide for you and Arthur in my current state. I need to get stronger so that I can keep you and Arthur my by side."

"That's a poor reason and you'll never learn at this rate." He has a co-op request from Mari. Already her overpowered character is turning up on the screen.  
  
 _Cheater.  
_  
Using her endless amount of time to cheat like this and buff her characters. The woman was audacious.

"How is it a poor reason? Is not wanting to keep those close to your safe a good reason to want to get stronger?"  
  
She's really not understanding what he means. He isn't making any sense. He would feel the same way she does if Enkidu or any of the children were here.

"Take away the other people and the dangerous scenario. Leave that aside and think carefully little fool. What reason do you have for wanting to learn magecraft? What makes it different from becoming a great engineer or cook or tech person or anything else? Why learn something like magecraft, which could damage your body if you make a single mistake?"  
  
Mari seems to be stealing all the materials in his world in the game. He can't help but frown, cuddling Hakuno closer as he tries to chase after the woman.

"Because I like it," Hakuno replies before she can stop herself. "I love learning about magecraft. I like the feeling I get when I can heal someone or when I master a technique in class."  
  
As much as she hates actually attending classes, she enjoys learning at the Clock Tower. The content itself is interesting enough to keep her from dropping out.

That was... that was much quicker than his Hakuno would have been in confessing such a thing. He'd expected her to argue with him about the value of their friends and family for a while, bringing up this person or that, maybe trying to get him to admit his interest in Arthur.  
  
Instead, she seems to be glowing a bit as she says that she likes magecraft.   
  
"Drink, lean against me," Gilgamesh takes another good sip of his drink. "That would be the kind of reason to bear in mind as you learn magecraft. If you think of it as only work, then you will become annoyed and upset. Your willpower will dwindle until you are begrudging others."

"I may be a second-rate mage from a dead family, but I do like magecraft. There are some bad mages, but not everyone is terrible..." Romani is kind for one, and he's a mage. "Romani told me that all men and kings are bad, but you and Arthur are the best people that I have ever met in my life."  
  
She takes another sip of the drink, taking in the sweet flavor of it. She'll get stronger, she won't let herself get brunt out. The stakes are far too high if she doesn't get stronger soon.

"Oh, kings are quite terrible. Men too. I didn't give Doctor Hebrew enough credit for that."   
  
He will have to thank the fool for that. Men and kings are fools and ambitious bastards, with few and far exclusions in between. The man had no doubt said such things for selfish reasons, but he can't fault him for that.   
  
He sips again, watching Hakuno take in more liquor.  
  
 _Nero and Gudako are talking,_ Arthur sends his way.  
  
"Oh?"   
  
"Hmm? What is it, Gil?" Hakuno looks up at him.  
  
"Arthur and Gudako have found our emperor. We will have to wait and see what comes about from the meeting."

_They are saying something about a rebellion, Gilgamesh._ Arthur tells him. _I don't like it, Nero is saying that she cannot even return to Rome right now, because the rebels are pushing too close to the capital What's worse is, she doesn't have the grail._  
  
 _That is not good._ Gilgamesh replies, attempting to pick up materials before Mari can swipe them from him. _Nero is_ _ditzy_ _, but she is not foolish. Ask her just who is leading these rebels, if Gudako and Shielder have not done so already._  
  
Arthur nods, watching as the woman in front of them brags about Rome, clinging to Gudako far too nicely. Romans. They never change. At least, Nero hasn't, not even as a Heroic Spirit.   
  
"Emperor Nero, it is nice to meet you finally. I am King Arthur of Britain." He moves next to Gudako. "I am Gudako's Servant." He cringes as he says that, that hurt to say out loud. "We would like to help you, but we need to know who is leading these rebels of yours so that we can plan a good attack to defeat them, and give you your capital back."

Nero glances over to him, hugging the little master who saved her close.   
  
"A king? Ah, you are so talented, little mage! You are so precious! To have you all aid me would be wonderful! That Lucius has always been a thorn in my side, now I shall have you all put him in his place and you can become my praetor, Lady Gudako!"   
  
Arthur can't help the curse that escapes him, earning a nod from the Emperor herself.  
  
"I agree. The man is a plague upon this world. The thing is, he's not even supposed to be here. The rebels caused this by bringing him about! My poor Roma."

_Lucius is here._ Arthur sends Gilgamesh's way. _I'm going to ask where the man is, and we need to keep our master far away from wherever he is._  
  
"He's not supposed to be here? Then, did the rebels summon him here?" He has a feeling the grail summoned the man here. "Lucius has been a thorn in my side as well. I will use all of my power to eradicate him from your lands. Did you have any idea where the man might be at right now? What his plans are?"

"He is in Rome, of course. He never leaves there. He's harming all my companions and he has _her_ with him."   
  
Nero leans against Gudako, bemoaning the wicked woman. The red-haired woman of the north had simply had the others bring that fool here. They'd forced her and her closest to flee to the countryside like rats.  
  
"They ruin the good Roma name. They sully my people and my kingdom. Oh, Praetor!"   
  
_I will remain here with Hakuno. Unless the man is coming to us, I see no reason to bring her any closer to the dangers of that man. Be sure to wear a mask or something. The last thing we need is that fool realizing who you are. He'll expect Hakuno to be around._

_Of course. Where else would he be? Lucius is no doubt sending others to fight in his place.  
  
_ "N-Nero where are you staying right now?" Gudako asks, finding herself squished up against the emperor. "We should stay close by you so that if this other person comes to attack you, we can fend them off. Mash and King Arthur are insanely strong. We won't allow anything terrible to happen to you."  
  
"If you do not have a place to stay. Our other companions have set up camp in the area." Arthur offers. "We can put our heads together and think up a good strategy for dealing with Lucius and his companions."

"My small group and I do not have a place. Your hospitality is a marvel. To think non-Romans would show such hospitality and civility." Nero smiles more, hugging the woman close. "I will repay your kindness with a ballad this evening that will lull you into a gentle sleep!"   
  
Gudako looks to Mash, laughing a little. "I'd like that. Just be nice to the mage we have with us. She's pretty much mine and Mash's baby sister."  
  
"I will babysit as well! Is that not the best thing to do for my praetor? I am remarkably good with children!"

Arthur can hear Gudako laughing a bit at that. "She will adore you, Nero." Gudako promises.   
  
_Gilgamesh, we're on our way back to where you and our master are. We're bringing the emperor with us._ Arthur warns. The Nero in their lifetime was overly fond of Hakuno. He suspects this Nero will be pretty much the same. _Tell Hakuno to get ready to be babied_  
  
He can sense Gilgamesh's mana from this far, he must be close. "I will lead the way there. You must be tired from fighting, Nero. Lets get you somewhere where you can relax without worrying about that wolf of a man nipping at your heels."


	20. The Sword Emperor and His Demonic Sword

Gudako motioned to the troops Nero had, making them head in the direction they'd come from. They hadn't wandered too far, she hopes. Mash settles her shield on her back and walks alongside her.  
  
"Nero, can you tell us more about this Lucius? Maybe there's a weakness that we can exploit about him."

_"The only Lucius we have on file is Lucius Tiberius."_ Romani's voice rings in the area, spooking the red emperor a bit.   
  
"It's okay." Mash tries. "Romani is our friend, he's just trying to help us."  
  
 _"It doesn't make sense though. Lucius didn't become emperor of Rome until much after Nero. He was credited with reversing the fall of the Roman empire in his lifetime. The Grail must have summoned him. If that is the case, then we're in for a hard time. He should be summoned as a Saber-class Servant. According to our past Grail War data we have on him, the man has defeated Sir Bedivere and Sir Gawain at the same time, he can fight equally with King Arthur, he has super regeneration, his army includes: giants riding mystical beasts, countless magi and mystics from everywhere between the far ends Europe and Asia, and psychokineticists from the Far East just to name a few."  
_  
Romani shakes his head before continuing. _"He wields Florent, a sword blessed by the goddess Flora and symbolizes lordship of the continent, and with Florent he can hijack ley lines to empower himself. We cannot allow him to do that. If he manages to sense where Mash has set up her shield and is able to tamper with our own ley line connection, we won't be able to send David after you. And to top it off he has strength like that of a demonic beast."_

"Oh, just a demon sword and ley line swords? Just tell me that he's a god while you're at it, Romani. Don't worry, I'll only cry a little." Gudako laughs a little, glancing at Mash.   
  
"It is scary, isn't it?"  
  
"He is, but we have Arthur!" Gudako nudges the man himself.  
  
Romani had said that Arthur and Lucy boy were on par with one another. Since they were on par, that meant any extra person on top of Arthur's talents would be too much for the demon boy. Mash herself was here to help. She was going to be their coup de grace.

Arthur feels himself sweat a bit as he leads them up to where he feels Gilgamesh and Hakuno camping out at.   
  
"Lucius is strong, I won't deny that," Arthur admits, giving a weak smile to Gudako and Mash. "I have fought him on many occasions. If we can get his sword away from him, he won't be able to heal himself." Though, that's easier said than done. If on the off chance, he remembers what happened in their world, he won't let Florent leave his side. The fact that he isn't leaving Rome is also concerning. Lucius is so bloodthirsty that any other time, he would chase after Nero himself.   
  
He might already sense that he's here. Lucius has a talent for being able to sniff him out, no matter the place.   
  
"It'll be fine. We just need to play our cards smart, and keep Hakuno out of sight of Lucius."

"Do you want to send baby mage back?" Gudako looks over at the man, frowning a little. It might be best to send her back before they get into too much trouble. Sending Hakuno would make it safer anyway, since her mana was a little touch and go at times.  
  
"Her servants are pretty strong, Gudako. Let's not do that unless we have to. You remember how Ruler was before," Mash murmurs. Nero's voice chattering on to Arthur about how strong her servants were and how long they could walk without pause is drowning out their conversation now.   
  
"She is. I just don't want something to happen to her. I know you and Hakuno are both kind of the babies around Chaldea."

"I'll be blunt. You won't be able to beat Lucius without me and Gilgamesh." Arthur tells the group, spotting that familiar golden head of hair atop the hill. "I don't like the thought of Hakuno being here, but at present, we have no choice. If the Grail is anywhere, it's with Lucius in Rome."  
  
If they could get inside Rome, and find the man that would be nice, but he knows things won't be that simple, as he hears Hakuno gasp at seeing his face.   
  
"Arthur!" Hakuno calls, breaking free from Gilgamesh's hold on her, and hugging the man tightly. "I'm so glad you're back! I was getting worried."

"Awww! She is so tiny!" Nero coos at the girl, rushing forward and wrapping her arms around Hakuno and Arthur together. "Praetor told me that there was a baby mage here! You're so cute. You shall have to learn magecraft in Rome after we are finished saving my people! Where is your little servant?"  
  
"Her servant is here."   
  
Gilgamesh moves forward, his armor coming to form as he holds his goblet of wine. His eyes peruse them, taking in the scuffs and bruises from battle.   
  
"You all look like you've trained well. A shame that Hakuno and I were busy ourselves... Hakuno, we should resume what we were doing before they came."

Hakuno reluctantly pulls back, smiling at the woman. This must be the Emperor that Gilgamesh was talking about. She's so pretty.   
  
"Y-You all should try to get some rest. You all look like you've had a hard time. Me and GIlgamesh pretty much have camp set up so, try to relax at least a little bit."   
  
She can't help but notice the expression on Arthur's face, she goes to ask what's wrong, but Gilgamesh is already dragging her back to their spot.   
  
"Arthur looks upset." She whispers. "I hope Gudako and the emperor didn't upset him…"

"Let's talk to Arammu in the tent," Gilgamesh murmurs to her a moment before glancing to the others. His nose wrinkles. "What is this? We did not say that you were going to flood the tent. You can unpack-"  
  
"Leave them, Gil." Arthur pulls open the gates, letting another tent come out. "I'll put together a tent for them. Just take Hakuno back into ours, please."  
  
"Does it matter if we all use the same?" Gudako groans, looking at the spikes and the fabrics. "There's a big tent already set up. We can probably fit."

"Unless you would like to hear Gilgamesh's love poems to your friend, then I think it's a good idea for you all to have your own tent, Gudako." Arthur points out, earning a groan from Gilgamesh as he begins to put the tent together.   
  
"You write poems, Gil?" Hakuno asks, smiling as she follows Gilgamesh into their large tent.   
  
"Don't listen to him, Hakuno. Arthur is just attempting to prevent old mage from following us into our chambers, and listening to our conversations."

"I'm not that old," Gudako argues, earning a laugh from Nero.   
  
"Don't worry, Praetor!" Nero wraps her arms around the redhead, although her gaze is on the little brunet baby mage walking off with Gilgamesh to the other tent. "This just means that I can save my beautiful songs for you. Shall I sing for you while your Arthur puts the tent up?"

"You can sing, Nero?" Mash asks excitedly. "We would love to hear you sing if you don't mind."  
  
Arthur waits until Gilgamesh is inside the tent with Hakuno before he continues setting the tent up, looking down at the instructions every now and then, thankful that Tsuki and Ayaka didn't get their paint-covered fingers all over this instruction book.  
  
"I'll have this set up for you all soon. Take a rest once I do. Once we all rest up a bit, I'll go out and hunt for us some food to eat. I'll cook for us all." Arthur explains. "Tonight can be for recovering and planning."

"I have been known as a one-woman choir, a woman whose voice echoes in the mind well after the concert is over." Nero clears her throat, preparing herself as she sits with Gudako.   
  
Mash smiles to her a moment before moving to help Arthur. He shouldn't do things alone. Maybe if she can find food.   
  
A second later and Gudako stares at the screech of a voice coming from the pretty Roman, Her eyes glazing over as, indeed, a haunting voice begins to emerge from her. The singing, if one could call such a nasally and screeching sound singing, lingers around, beating all thoughts from her head. Mash looks over in horror. Arthur, meanwhile, pulls out a couple noise-canceling earplugs.  
  
The tent nearby closes shut as the group Nero has settled nearby and winces in agony.

_"It's so bad, Gil."_ Hakuno tells him in Japanese so that she doesn't offend the woman, just in case she can hear her through their tent.   
  
It sounds like she's trying her best though. She can't fault the woman too much for that. Maybe if she practices a bit more, she could become a good singer. She hopes that they're being nice to her out there, and aren't teasing her too badly about her singing. She had been so eager to show them her abilities.   
  
"T-That was nice, Miss Nero." Mash tries, holding the rods for Arthur as he attaches them together. "You're a great singer."

"Thank you. I am complimented often about my singing." Nero smiles to Gudako nearby, seeing the far off look on her face. Her singing must have truly taken the woman's mind on a journey. She was no doubt adoring every second of what she'd heard.   
  
She moves closer, resting her head upon the woman's lap.   
  
"Would you care for an encore, Praetor? I can sing another song for you."

She really doesn't. God, but that's the last thing she wants. Her voice sounds like nails on a chalkboard.   
  
But she's looking up at her so innocently. She needs to get along with the woman at least since they're working together in order to resolve the singularity.   
  
"Maybe once Arty gets the tent set up for us," Gudako suggests, brushing her hand through the woman's golden hair. "You can sing me and Mash to sleep."  
  
She won't sleep, not until after Nero is done with torturing them with her voice, but she needs to entertain her and get to know her better if they're going to be in this together for the long haul.

Those green eyes gleam. The master wants her to sing her to sleep! What an angel! What a doll! Nero moves to sit up, wrapping her arms around the absolute baby of a woman and kissing her cheeks.  
  
"I shall sing any lullaby that I can think of for you, Praetor! Not to worry! I can sing for your baby mage afterward too if you would like!"

Gudako grins, motioning over at the tent. "You could sing for the baby mage right now if you'd like. She's probably in there getting showered in cheesy love poems right now by her Servant. You could go save her from that."   
  
She won't be the only one suffering here.

The woman doesn't seem to hear her right though. Instead of rushing off to Hakuno and that grouch of a servant of hers, the woman looks back at her, frowning.   
  
"You are not serenaded in poems as well?"   
  
Her hands stroke her face.   
  
"My poor Praetor! I will sing another song now. I will make sure that you feel as romanced as your baby mage and her bard!"

Gudako groans inwardly, she doesn't have time to say anything back before Nero is already beginning to sign again. Somehow, she feels as if the woman's voice is louder than before.   
  
She looks over, noting that Arthur, and now Mash have earplugs in as they get the finishing touches on the tent, before moving to put the fabrics on top.   
  
_Dammit, Arthur,_ she thinks to herself. She'll make the man cook loads for them tonight for this. Evading torture like this, thanks to those weird puddle things that appear beside him every now and then, giving him whatever he needs, when he needs it.  
  
Some people have all the luck.

"My Emperor," one of the lackeys call, bowing as they move before her and the Emperor. "Your music is priceless and we would love to let you continue, but you must save your voice. The people need you to be able to speak clearly when the false Emperor is defeated."  
  
Nero sighs, leaning against her.   
  
"My apologies," the lackey says again.  
  
"It is fine. I suppose it cannot be helped." Nero smiles sadly. "Praetor, remember this. I will continue to serenade you when Rome is safe. I have a beautiful concert hall that I can sing for you in. I will fill it with roses and make you feel more loved than any woman or man in this world."

"I will have to do something special for you in return for helping us." Gudako replies, thankful that her people have seemed to stop her from singing anymore for now. "In the meantime, maybe you can tell me about the situation in Rome right now. O-Or what Rome is like right now in general with lucy boy running things."  
  
She smiles down at the woman, leaning her face in close and kissing the top of her head. "Myself and my baby mage have never really been outside of our home country before. We're interested in seeing the world, and what it has to offer, but we need to know the whole situation so that we can enjoy your Rome as it's intended."

Nero beams to her, holding the place where she'd kissed so that she can savor and allow the kiss to sink in.   
  
"Roma is the most beautiful place in the world, Praetor. The flowers hang from all the buildings. The people are beautiful, filled with love and devotion to their work. There are all trades, living together in harmony, that was- until someone summoned that warmongering tyrant to this place. The man seeks to destroy everything. The stone streets are filled with malice and the people are self-seeking and angry."  
  
She lays back, sighing.  
  
"My people have lost themselves in their emperor's hate. They lost me and lost themselves, but I must go back. I must refuel their hearts with the good and wholesome."

"We'll help you get your Rome back," Gudako promises, thinking for a moment. "He may be powered by a wish-granting device... It would be great if we could somehow get into Rome and investigate for ourselves, we'll just have to hide ourselves really well while we're inside of your capital, Nero."  
  
Her eyes fall back to Arthur, Romani did say the man was familiar with Lucy boy, but to what extent? And why was he so concerned about Lucius seeing Hakuno?  
  
"Romani, if you're still listening, I have a couple of questions for you. How come King Arthur here is so familiar with our fake Emperor? And why is he so scared about him seeing Hakuno? Does Hakuno resemble the guys' wife or something?"

_I told you before, King Arthur and Lucius Tiberius were at one another's throats. They were rivals and the knights killed the man. As for why he is fearful of Hakuno being near him, I have no idea. Remember that Hakuno's- I mean- Don't forget that your King Arthur is from another time. Both he and Hakuno's King Gilgamesh have a different timeline attached. Their Hakuno has probably met Lucius._  
  
Judging by that tone, he's not fond of that idea. Still, Gudako finds Nero nodding.  
  
"Your ghost companion is correct, Praetor. He spoke of a King Arthur. He hates the man and hopes to take the man's home. He does not care for any woman though. He uses them all freely and disposes of them when done."

"I see..." Gudako nods as she looks down at Nero. "Well, at least we have King Arthur on our side! Taking back your Rome will be easy-peasy with him around. He told us that he knew Lucy boys weakness."  
  
She beams down at the woman. "He and King Gilgamesh can just use all of their strength against him, and then you'll have your Rome back before you know it."  
  
It's just getting into Rome that's the issue. They could pass as visitors from another land, but then there is the issue of getting Nero inside...  
  
She'll think about that later, Hakuno and Gilgamesh might have some good ideas on how to go about this.


	21. Wine Drinking And Plotting

"That's your second glass," Gilgamesh laughs, finding the woman pouring herself another glass of wine. They had closed the tent for now to avoid the woman's singing, but that had only led to Hakuno lamenting being a baby mage.  
  
"I am not a baby. I'm so tired of hearing that. She even told the new servant we're around that I'm a baby."   
  
Hakuno pouts, looking up at him as he comes closer.   
  
"I'm almost an adult. I'm engaged. I am doing my best. Just because Romani treats me like a baby doesn't mean that I am. I am capable of doing so many things if people let me have my chance."  
  
"You are." He won't disagree on that.  
  
"I even sleep next to a man at night!" Hakuno nods. "That's very adult. If there was a field around, a baby could come crawling out of the dirt and calling us mom and dad, but thankfully we've always been in Chaldea... And I'm not fully human here."   
  
"That's not really how babies work."  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
The woman looks up at him, cheeks rosier than ever. "I-It's not?"  
  
Gilgamesh smiles. He wraps a hand around the glass in her hands and pulls her to himself, making her rest against him. His lips steal hers a moment before he leads her into feeding him some of the wine.   
  
"You're handsome."  
  
"I am, indeed." Gilgamesh purrs, watching her sway. "And you are drunk, you fool. I will look forward to you repaying me for that wine you drank. It was not a cheap bottle."  
  
"Hmm?" She blinks. "What do you mean?"  
  
"That was... one or two million yen? It might have been three."  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
She practically shrieks at the price, making him laugh harder as he pulls her onto the chaise and wraps a blanket around them both.   
  
"Oh yes," Gilgamesh nods. "It was four and a half million yen, my master. How are you planning to pay? Paper? Card?"  
  
"I'm a research facility worker! I don't have money!"  
  
"This sounds like your problem," he purrs, drinking down more of the wine. "Would you like another glass?"

Arthur pauses at the sight he sees before him as he steps inside the tent. The bottle of wine on the ground, the cups in their hands, and Hakuno's rosy cheeks.   
  
She's drunk. Hakuno had never been one to hold liquor well, even wine. One glass and she was done for the night. It looks as if this trait was passed down to this Hakuno as well.   
  
"If she drinks anymore, she'll have a hangover when she wakes up," Arthur warns, as his armor dematerializes from his body. "She shouldn't be drinking in the first place, she's too young, Gil."  
  
"I'm not a baby!" Hakuno whines. "Even you treat me like a baby, Arthur, and we're supposed to be engaged."  
  
"It's not about treating you like a baby, Hakuno, it's about making sure that you're responsible when you drink," Arthur replies, settling next to the woman, and pulling her close to him. "We're in enemy territory, I need you to be healthy so that if we need your help, you and Gilgamesh can run straight to us. You can't do that if you end up getting sick off wine."  
  
 _You worry too much._ Gilgamesh complains, sipping at his wine. _She is fine. You should have a glass yourself.  
_  
 _And you don't worry enough._ Arthur shoots back. Really, what was he thinking giving Hakuno, someone who has never drunk alcohol before more than one glass of his wines?

_She poured the second glass when I was turned. The third she poured after Gudako came along._ Gilgamesh finds Hakuno nuzzling against Arthur, pouting.  
  
"Stop treating me like a child," Hakuno complains.   
  
"Hakuno, come here. You may bring the fool with you as well. Arammu and you both should be here." He pats his lap, finding Hakuno glancing his way a moment before she nods and moves to his side.   
  
"Come on, Arthur. You should get some sleep. I'll take care of you-"  
  
"I need to make sure you both eat."You're treating me like a child." Hakuno states again, nuzzling her head against Gilgamesh. "I'm so tired of being treated like a kid. I'm not a kid."  
  
She sighs, closing her eyes. "I'll get the grail myself, and then you all will see that I'm just as capable as Gudako is."  
  
"Master-" Arthur starts.   
  
"No, I'm going to Rome and helping to get the grail as soon as I can," Hakuno argues. "I'm strong too. I summoned you both, and we basically took care of the problem in Fuyuki on our own. I can take care of whatever is waiting in Rome too."

_She shouldn't be going to Rome._ Arthur thinks. Hakuno doesn't understand the danger that she's putting everyone in by going. Lucius could recognize her. He could try to steal her again. Third time was the charm, so they said. The man had killed Gilgamesh before.  
  
 _Calm down, she's drunk._  
  
Gilgamesh's arms wrap around Hakuno more, his lips pressing to hers.   
  
"Hakuno, you are no mere child. You are a master. You are thinking like a fool. What use is there for two teams going into Rome? We should do surveillance, look around the empire while these fools rush in."   
  
The king's hand is stroking at her cheek. Those eyes, far too knowing, gaze deeply into hers as his face remains neutral.   
  
"Think about it, Hakuno. The so-called baby mage, bringing all the information about the kingdom's weakness in during the moment of truth. The woman with that screeching banshee would have little choice but to admit that you are growing well. The Chaldeans themselves would be impressed with your forward-thinking."

"I'm just tired of everyone treating me like a child," Hakuno admits wrapping her arms around Gilgamesh. "I'll stay with you and do surveillance." If what Gilgamesh is saying is true, she could prove everyone wrong. Arthur would have to start treating her like a woman then.  
  
But her eyes feel so heavy, she can't help but close them against Gilgamesh. Sometimes she feels as if the golden king is the only one who understands how she feels.

Gilgamesh watches her drift off, his hand stroking at her hair a moment before he finds Arthur curling up next to him.  
  
"This is terrible. That asshole is here, I have to feign being Gudako's servant, and we have the man capable of more than he had been capable of before. We should just take Hakuno and go back."  
  
"The man can't escape the powers of Excalibur and Enuma Elish combined," Gilgamesh shrugs. "We could simply blow him to the next life if we so desired."  
  
 _"Of course, the problem with that is the fact that you would be blowing up Rome."_ Romani's form comes from the communicator in the corner of the tent. His image frowns at them both.   
  
"Ah, eavesdropping, are we?"  
  
 _"It's hard to miss. I'll pretend I didn't hear Hakuno talk about engagements for a moment. You both use up too much mana to be using your noble phantasm. We don't know what kind of effect that would have on Hakuno. For now, we're letting Gudako take the lead. Her mana is just more stable. I like Hakuno taking the surveillance route, but let's keep it to that."_

Arthur sighs loudly. "Then you must be able to sense where the man is at on your end, Doctor, correct?" If he's that much stronger as a Servant, he must be picking up something. _  
  
"I do,"_ Romani admits. _"He's in Rome, just like Nero stated. I don't know if he had the Grail or not, but he is in Rome. Gudako wishes to go inside Rome to attempt to bargain with the man. If that happens, then we'll need King Arthur close by, when and if things take a turn for the worse."_

_I don't care to be on the outer lines while you go in. Lucius is unfortunately cunning._ Gilgamesh closes his eyes, thinking carefully. _I don't believe that Lucius is overly strong. If he were, he would sense that we were here like we can sense him on the edge of our mana sensing. If he knew about Hakuno, he would know Hakuno is fond of Nero and have her trapped within Rome.  
  
_ That meant that right now, they had the advantage and Hakuno had a measure of safety. _  
  
_"Can you tell us anything about the man's class or history? Anything other than what you've already told Gudako?" Arthur asks.

"One moment," Romani tells the two troublesome Servants, as he pulls up the man's data again.   
  
_That is what I was thinking. I don't think he knows Hakuno is here. He may know that we are here, and is deciding what to do about us. He must have people watching Nero._ Arthur thinks back. Right now they're safe, but that won't last as they get closer to Rome. Lucius had to be aware Nero is with some foreigners.   
  
_"Alright. Here is extra information that I have on Lucius Tiberius. It's not much more than what I've told you, but maybe you both will find it useful. The only class he has ever been summoned in is Saber. He has EX strength and A rank luck. He has won Grail wars before. The last Grail War he was in, he ended it in a week. In our world, King Arthur killed the man's wife and children in revenge for Lucius coming into Britain and demanding tribute from his people. I have a feeling that is why he hates you so much, Arthur."_

_Well done,_ Gilgamesh smirks at the man, listening to the groan in the other's head.   
  
"Is there anything else?" Arthur isn't going to respond to Gil's applauding of him.   
  
_"That's what I have,"_ Romani tells him.

That information didn't really help him much, but Arthur can't complain too much. At least Romani is attempting to help.  
  
"Right. Well, I will make sure Hakuno and Gudako eat a good meal. I'll be honest, I don't like the idea of going inside Rome at all, but if Lucius has the grail, we have no choice."

_Slaughtering his wife and children,_ Gilgamesh frowns as Romani signs off for now. _If he is from this timeline, then that means that he will be after Hakuno purely because you slaughtered his wife and kids. We will need to make sure Hakuno does not have alone time with him._

_The man in our world never had a wife or children. Lucius cares about no one but himself._ Arthur argues, leaning against Gilgamesh more. _I don't want Gudako having alone time with him either. He would take them both to simply piss me off. For now, Hakuno can stay with you. Maybe take her to see the ocean or something. Distract her from Rome. We can't let her go inside of the city unless it's a last resort._

_The ocean, huh?_ Hakuno would enjoy that.   
  
She'd most likely have a headache in the morning. He can let Hakuno get her rest and then simply take her to enjoy herself for a while. She would enjoy the waters, probably marvel at the feel of it like she had the first time the two of them had gone to the Euphrates...  
  
She would- if they weren't in a singularity.   
  
This was Hakuno. It wouldn't be so simple.   
_  
I'll see what I can do._

_That's all I ask, Prince Charming._ Arthur presses his lips to Gilgamesh's cheek.   
  
He can't lose this woman again. He'd lost her too much in their first life. He would always find himself separated from her, mostly by his own immature actions and thoughts. This time it would be different. He'll treat Hakuno even better than he did in his first lifetime. He'll keep her close to him, and make sure that there are no misunderstandings between the three of them.   
  
_I don't want her to get hurt. She is young, impressionable, and has been without love for so long. I don't think she would betray us, but if Lucius got her alone, he would promise her love and who knows what else._ Hell, if Hakuno didn't meet him and Gilgamesh when she did in their first life, she would've fallen for Lucius. He's the combination of all of him and Gilgamesh's worst traits wrapped up into a wolf.  
  
 _There is a part of me that wants her to eat the herb of immortality in your vault, Gil. We wouldn't have to worry about her getting hurt, but it would_ _prolong_ _her life._ He isn't sure he wants to make her go through that or not.

The herb of immortality... The man needed to stop sharing a mind with him at times.   
  
_We can consider it when Hakuno agrees to the engagement and once we are through Lucius and Nero. Consider it a test, Teacup._ They can test the waters of their luck. Should they find Hakuno's feelings and interest wavering, they can refuse the herb. Should she show that she's confident about the two of them and their ability to protect her be up to standards, then they would be fine.

_I want to go into Rome and murder Lucius right now._ Arthur admits with a loud sigh. This timeline shouldn't exist according to that doctor, so why should they have to play by the rules?  
  
He looks over at their sleeping Master before pressing his lips to Gils for a moment.  
  
 _Get some rest with our princess. I need to go out and attempt to find food for us all._

Gilgamesh doesn't even hesitate, pulling the man in. His lips move against Arthur's, stealing back the kiss the man had stolen.   
_  
You should stop wasting so much time out there and remain here. What use is my consort roaming so far from me? Our woman is here and I am here._

_She is teasing. The woman enjoys Hakuno's company. Hakuno is just becoming overly sensitive about being called a child. It is a shame when people cannot handle a bit of teasing. It's a childish response.  
  
_ Gilgamesh smirks at the man leaping at the chance to be cuddled up against him. The fool is enamored with the two of them.

_That is an easy thing for me or you to say, but we used to get so mad when one of us would tease the other. I almost tossed you down a stairwell when we were living in your home in France, because you were so sensitive about me teasing you.  
_  
Arthur can't help but smile at that memory, pulling the blankets over them more. Hakuno and Gilgamesh don't need to be cold.

_I have no idea what you're talking about.  
_  
They didn't need to bring up trivial things like that. The man had been harassing him, not teasing. There was a difference. He'd been little better. One time having sex on the beach and the knight king had been fleeing to Camelot to be upset... and for a meager funeral of some unimportant father of his.  
  
 _You should make your English breakfast foods for dinner. I want scones._ The man's horrifying English food was ruining him with the occasional craving. Yet another issue with this Ruler business of them being together for eternity.

_I can do that_ Arthur promises, pressing his forehead against Gilgamesh's. I'll brew you some nice tea to go with it. he grins. I knew you would come around to the food from my culture.  
  
It would be a good time to attempt to bond with Hakuno more as well. She could help him cook if she wanted. She used to always love doing that. He can possibly make up for treating her like a child by letting her help him at least. For now though, they all need to rest. Their Master more so, her mana is fluctuating. He's starting to believe that her mana levels are more controlled by her stress levels than her circuits. He noticed they dipped significantly when Gudako began to tease her.

Gilgamesh is rolling his eyes from what he can see. His finicky other half seems to close his eyes, hugging Hakuno tighter to himself.


	22. Mobile Games and Reincarnation

Pulling his thoughts away from mana fluctuation, Arthur watches the two, waiting until they're resting deeply before he dares to move. The slow movement of their chests and the soft mumble here and there from Gilgamesh gives him the green light. Arthur slips away, opening the tent and looking around at the base camp.  
  
"Ah, you're back." Mash smiles, looking over at him. "I caught a few rabbits and things while you were busy. Gudako's gone to rest though. Nero went to see to the wounded of her troop as well."  
  
Which meant it was just the two of them for the time being, Arthur thinks. The girl seems very Galahad-like with how she's focusing only on her task before her. The knight himself would often narrow his focus, especially when there was trouble brewing or trouble with Lancelot and Guinevere. He can't help but to smile a bit as he watches her attempting to light a good fire.  
  
"Let me help," he offers.

"O-Oh you don't have to, Arthur." Mash tries to tell him, but the man isn't listening, instead beginning to light a fire himself.  
  
It's strange. There are elements of the King Arthur that she has read about in the books her and Hakuno have, but there is just something a little... Off. She was expecting a seasoned warrior with a taste for battle, but it seemed Arthur didn't enjoy fighting when they were protecting Nero.  
  
"King Arthur, do you mind if I ask you something?"  
  
"Of course not." The girl is so much like Galahad, always asking permission before she does something so simple.  
  
"Um, in the stories I read..." How to word this nicely. "Sir Tristan told you right before Camelot fell that you didn't understand human emotions, but that doesn't seem to be the case now that I'm standing in front of you. What changed? You seem to hate fighting as well. When the Arthur I read about was always attempting to conquer France or Rome."

Arthur shakes his head. "Your Arthur sounds like he was in the Middle Ages or something. I lived in the modern times, G- Mash. In my time, there weren't many wars to fight. It was more about economics and foreign diplomacy through trade and work agreements."  
  
One last strike of the sticks has the fire going, the flames building up as he moves to sit next to her.  
  
"I opened my own business, met a different Hakuno, met Gilgamesh, and then my life became very interesting. I found I enjoyed being a husband and a king rather than a king and then maybe a wife would come. I was engaged before I went to do my business, but I wasn't happy and I knew I needed to do a practical thing."

"He was," Mash tells him, watching as the fire gets going, her eyes glancing over at the king. "But it sounds like Hakuno and King Gilgamesh helped you a lot. Do you love this Hakuno too?"  
  
Oops, she shouldn't have asked that.  
  
"S-Sorry! That is none of my business! I just know that Hakuno loves you so..." She shakes her head. "Forgive me. That wasn't an appropriate question to ask. You and King Gilgamesh have been helping us out quite a bit. We would've been in trouble in Fuyuki if not for you two. I just want to get to know you both better. Gilgamesh is so kind too."  
  
The king had given her advice about being a Servant when he didn't have to. Gilgamesh could've been a knight if he wasn't already a king.

Arthur can't help it. He laughs at the question and then, with a glance around, he nods at the girl. "I love Hakuno quite a bit. I say I met a different Hakuno, but she and our Hakuno here act the same. They have the same thoughts, the same manners, the same features, and voice; there's no difference except their pasts. The Hakuno that I married and had children with was raised by a mage who was very caring and encouraging for her to go out and enjoy life. Our Hakuno meanwhile has been trapped by mages and tested on. It makes me feel very protective... Gilgamesh too."  
  
Probably should mention Gilgamesh again.  
  
"Hakuno has been well taken care of with us," Mash tells him. "I mean- other than the experiments here and there, we were raised really well. Romani would read us stories and Hakuno and I would run around the base together. I think she's even more similar to your Hakuno than you think."

"You and Hakuno speak so fondly of Romani." Arthur shakes his head. The man is sketchy, but at the very least he has helped to take care of Hakuno and Mash. If it weren't for Romani he's sure that Marisbury person would've left them for dead, or worse.  
  
"What do you know about the experiments done to yourself and Hakuno if you don't mind me asking, Mash?" He has to know. Mash is honest, Roman is only giving them hints, and Hakuno isn't eager to talk about whatever they have done to her in Chaldea.  
  
"The only experiments that I know that was done to Hakuno was her circuit experiment. Her circuits were donated by someone, and Hakuno shared compatibility with those circuits. Think of it like donating blood, or a kidney. Circuits only respond well to the owner if there is some compatibility within their mage linage. Otherwise, the circuits would reject Hakuno, and tear her body from the inside out."  
  
That thought made her sick. She's watched it happen to other Master candidates it isn't a pleasant sight.  
  
"She was also experimented on the same way that I was. Marisbury attempted to fuse Hakuno with a Heroic Spirit. The hero showed up, but we think it rejected Hakuno. Or at the very least it's dormant. Romani isn't sure."

"Do you know what spirit?" He hadn't heard anything about that. If Hakuno was sporting a Heroic spirit, then they might rear their head when Hakuno isn't looking. It would be incredibly awkward for them to run into trouble later down the line because some spirit of Ereshkigal or something was taking Hakuno over.

"I'm not sure the name, but I overheard Romani and Marisbury talking about it. It's a mage that became a goddess thanks to a divine king." Mash rubs the back of her neck. "Sorry I couldn't be more help, Arthur. At least you know it's a Caster class Servant."

A goddess.  
  
Gil won't be appreciating that at all. Given his distaste, it won't be surprising if he gets finicky about it, pissing off the goddess. The only ones he'd liked before were his own mother and Hakuno once Hakuno had achieved divinity.  
  
He sighs, running a hand through his hair. "We'll have to just be careful. Speaking of being careful, can you tell Gudako to lay off the baby mage talk? I think Hakuno's mana is based around her stress and she gets stressed at being called a baby. It's starting to bother me so if she lays off, I'll continue the 'Gudako's servant' thing we have going right now."

"Oh. I didn't know it was bothering you." Mash admits, bowing slightly. "I'm sorry. I'll talk to Gudako. My Master doesn't mean anything bad by it, but I'll talk to her if it's upsetting Hakuno. We just want her to be safe. If Hakuno got hurt, we couldn't live with ourselves. Hakuno is my friend too."  
  
Mash pulls her coat around her a bit more.  
  
"Arthur, is it hard to be attached to Gilgamesh as a Servant? You both work so well together, but I imagine it must be hard."

"Hard?"  
  
He has to think for a minute. The fire crackles nicely in front of them, building up as the light of the skies is sinking off in the horizon. They'll have to rouse people in shifts for eating. Hakuno and Gudako will really need to eat.  
  
"I suppose... When we first became servants together, it was a bit difficult. We didn't realize what being summoned together meant. We just knew that it was this or fighting against one another. Our Hakuno had told us to never fight one another again so we became like this."  
  
They had awakened to that first summoning with one another's thoughts roaming in each other's heads. Which wasn't unusual, since their tattoos had bonded them mentally; it was just that there was no barrier anymore. They couldn't mentally block one another out, especially with the more mana that they got.  
  
His habits had started showing in Gil. Gil's own had started to show in him. He became selfish away from Gilgamesh, self-indulgent and pissing off people. Gilgamesh became sheepish, apologizing, and lonesome for company. They listened to one another during that first war and become more horrified the longer it had gone.  
  
The second war had been similar, with the two of them trying to separate.  
  
The third had been to a master with so much mana that they had practically felt like one person.  
  
From there...  
  
"I wouldn't wish becoming a servant on anyone," Arthur tells the girl beside him, "but becoming a servant with Gilgamesh is not something I regret. I just wish we could have some peace. The constant wars and fighting grow tiring."

"That is what Gilgamesh told me," Mash admits, nodding her head. "He said being a Servant was hard, and that he grew tired of the fighting."  
  
She agrees. She hasn't even been a Servant for that long, and she shares that sentiment.  
  
"I don't think we'll be fighting like this all the time, Arthur." At least, she hopes they won't be. "You and King Gilgamesh deserve some happiness. Hakuno does too. You three look so happy around each other. I've never seen Hakuno smile so much before. Please take care of her. You all deserve to have more time to bond with one another."

"It'll be nice for us to have time together." Arthur nods at the girl's words. "I hope to let you, Hakuno, and Gudako have time to enjoy yourselves too. I told Hakuno that she needs to enjoy some holidays, but you and Gudako should take the opportunity to celebrate them as well. I think you all would like Christmas."

"Holidays?" Mash asks. "I only know of Christmas... There are other holidays besides that?"

"There's Halloween, Valentine's day, summer festivals," he thinks through a few, trying to think of ones that aren't Sumerian specific. "We'll jot a few down when we get back to Chaldea. You would like May Day. White day too."  
  
The girls all need to have some fun for once, lighten up from the constant magecraft talk.

"That sounds like fun! We could decorate Chaldea for those holidays." Mash grins.  
  
It would be fun. Gudako knows a lot about the outside world too, she could help them decorate.  
  
"You're so nice, Arthur. You make me wish I was a knight." She laughs a bit. "Shall we get to cooking, Arthur? The Masters might be getting hungry soon."

"Let's do it. Hakuno and the others will wake up hungry and I'm sure they could all use a good meal before we get to the warfare soon." Arthur rolls up his sleeves, smiling to Mash. "Let's see if I can make a good cook out of you. Then maybe we can talk you becoming a squire."  
  
Mash gives a nod before they begin.

* * *

  
 _"Do you think that Enkidu needs to be seen by someone?" Hakuno feels herself frowning as she watches the green hair swish back and forth over the man's shoulder in front of them. The redhead is walking proudly, heading deeper into what looks to be a quiet hotel eating area. The logo and writing is foreign, maybe Mandarin or something. At her side, a purple-haired woman smiles all too sweetly.  
  
"Don't pay any attention to them, Hakuno. Don't you remember? Gilgamesh and Arthur hurt Enkidu and you. Lucius and I were just kind enough to come to save the day."  
  
"Thanks, BB."  
  
It's strange. She can feel the relief in her being at being away from Gilgamesh and Arthur. She can feel her eyes roaming over the man before them, taking in his strong physique and his Roman features. Those eyes, more like a hawk's predatory gaze than any kindhearted man's own, bores into her.  
  
"In here."  
  
The man opens a thick door, moving for BB and her to move ahead. There's something off. There's something in her mind that says that she needs to turn back, like a small voice screaming that she's going the wrong way, but she finds her body leaning to kiss the man and walking into the heavy doored room.  
  
"GAH!"  
  
The sound is quick, a dark dagger gleaming from BB's back as Hakuno spins around from the room. She can see Lucius all but tossing the green-haired body to the side before pulling the dagger out.  
  
"Did you really think I would share her, you nagging ingrate?"  
  
"BB!"  
  
The screaming is louder, Hakuno pushing at her own mind to let her take over. She needs to get out of here. Who cares about this woman? Where's Gil and Arthur?  
  
"No, no." the man pushes her back, sending her falling onto the floor away from BB's form. He closes the door, dragging Enkidu by the hair to where a set of chains are. The spikes on the inside of them gleam a second before he fixes them onto the being's wrists and neck.  
  
"What is this?" Hakuno asks  
  
"You chose them," Lucius purrs. "You bore them babies. Now you're going to watch those two kings die. Then I am going to take you. Again and again. You will know who you belong to, who is better for you before I am done."  
  
"NO!"_  
  
Hakuno can feel herself shaking, sweat running down her back as she sits up. Her eyes look around, taking in the darkened interior of the tent and the blond servant snoozing at her side.  
  
She can't shake the thought of those eyes watching her, the red-haired man chaining up that person. Her hands are shaking at Gilgamesh before she can help it.  
  
"Five more minutes."  
  
"Gil... Gil, please get up! I need you."

Those red eyes slowly open, to see his Master shaking before him. He wastes no time in pulling her close to him, pressing kisses to her forehead.  
  
"What is it, my Master? What troubles you so that you are shaking like a leaf on a cold winter's day?"  
  
"Bad dream." Hakuno whispers, clinging to the man's shirt. The man in her dream was a different entity entirely from Gilgamesh and Arthur. She doesn't know how to explain it.  
  
"Hakuno, what happened?" He frowns. He isn't sure how to feel about all these nightmares she's having. If only Enkidu or that fool Moses were around to interpret her dreams... "Hakuno, tell me what happened so that I may comfort you."  
  
She doesn't want to talk about it. She shakes her head, cuddling against the man more. It was just a nightmare, she'll be okay in a few minutes, she just needs to cuddle him.  
  
"Hakuno," Gilgamesh begins. "I have had nightmares like you are having before. I talked about them with my friend. It helps to talk about your feelings, rather than let things fester, and down a bottle of wine rather than simply telling others how you feel."  
  
Why does she feel he's making fun of her? She brings the blanket up around them more before confessing.  
  
"I had a dream that you and Arthur hurt Enkidu. My friend-" At least she thinks that purple-haired woman was her friend, she isn't sure. "My friend picked me up and took me and Enkidu somewhere. There was this man, he had red hair like your eyes, but a more violet color. He had the same features as Nero. I don't know he was scary."  
  
 _Arammu, Hakuno is having dreams of Lucius._ Gilgamesh sends Arthur's way _. This isn't good. If she is dreaming of Lucius, there is a good chance the demon is dreaming of Hakuno as well_. It's not uncommon for Servants to share dreams with those that can be considered a Master if they're close enough.

Arthur pauses, listening to Mash and Gudako laugh and continue divvying out the food to the soldiers and Nero. The emperor herself is in the midst of praising her people as Arthur glances back at the tent.  
  
 _She dreamed of you dying. We could be safe still._  
  
Still, dreaming of that guy is bad. They need Hakuno farther away from Rome.  
  
"Gilgamesh," Hakuno tugs at Gil's shirt a little more, bringing the blond's attention to her once more. "...Did you both hurt Enkidu?"  
  
"We have never harmed a hair on Enkidu's head." Gilgamesh shakes his head at her, brushing back her hair. "Enkidu is my friend, Hakuno. No man is foolish enough to cause real harm to their friend. A few punches here and there in wrestling is one thing, but we have never done anything of consequence to one another."

Then it was just a bad dream. Gilgamesh sounds honest, and he's right. Who would hurt their friend?  
  
She couldn't imagine hurting Gudako or Mash. She must have had too much wine before she went to sleep.  
  
"It felt so real," Hakuno tells Gilgamesh. I could feel that man kissing me." Dreams aren't supposed to be that vivid were they?  
  
At that statement, Gilgamesh presses his lips to hers. "You have been spending too much time around Romans today." He won't tell her about Lucius, not right now anyway. She doesn't need to know that man is here as well as Nero. "Let's lay here for a bit longer, while Princess feeds that banshee and her people outside the tent. We can eat afterward."  
  
Nero was enough of a headache for one day.  
  
 _I'm moving Hakuno further away from Rome in the morning. She confessed that she had a dream in which she was kissing that man. I am concerned that Lucius is feeding her alternate history somehow about what happened._

 _Good plan. I will make sure that Gudako knows we're keeping base further from Rome to be safe.  
  
_ Gilgamesh keeps his eyes closed a moment before finding Hakuno cuddling up against his chest. Her lips find his again. Her hand, he notes, goes to the ring necklace she has around her neck.  
  
"I hate these dreams, Gil. I don't want to think about these dreams anymore. First, you died, then I dream that the man who hurt you was kissing me and telling me that you and Arthur were bad." They feel like they're out of order like she was trapped in that empty room with the bleeding friend on the ground and Enkidu being chained up before Gilgamesh was dying. She can't remember well...  
  
What if it was a premonition though.  
  
Hakuno pauses, her blood chilling at the thought. If that was the case, then she needed Gilgamesh away from Rome. She needed to make sure to not trust any purple-haired woman or the Lucius in her dreams.

"I dislike Romans," Gilgamesh admits simply, pulling the woman closer against his chest, refusing to let her go. "Nero is the only Roman I tolerate. Any others are either too troublesome or too easily attached for their own good."  
  
Sometimes, it was a combination of both of those awful traits with these barbarians out of Rome.  
  
"Then let us stop thinking about these awful dreams. I doubt our red-haired demon is here in this singularity. I and Arthur asked, and Doctor Hebrew pointed out to us that the man ruled Rome much after Nero. We're safe." Gilgamesh explains, yawning a bit. "Now, me and you are going to roam around tomorrow, while old mage, her Servant, and Princess go inside Rome to investigate."

Hakuno nods.  
  
"I like that plan. We can scout the areas outside of Rome instead of going in. We're still useful that way in case they need to retreat."  
  
There's no helping how much she likes being wrapped in Gilgamesh's arms. Her eyes go to the tattoos on his chest, her fingers tracing along them. If she can keep him safe, then Gudako and Mash can resolve this singularity and maybe stop her premonition. She would just be very careful from here on out. Arthur was safe, but Gilgamesh... Gilgamesh needed to be guarded.  
  
"Can we look at more baby pictures, Gil?" She looks up at him. "I feel better whenever I see them."

Thank gods she is being more agreeable than before. Drunk Hakuno is truly a different being.  
  
Still, he can't help but smirk down at her as he opens his gates, another photobook falling from its depths. "You are so taken with our children I see. Here, I will allow you to see photos of our youngest children: Tsuki, Ayaka, Yuri, and Owain." He hands over the book to her. "You will come to find that they are troublemakers just like our triplets."  
  
Well, minus Tsuki. The boy was too sickly to get into much trouble. The poor boy inherited his mothers' memory illness. Most of the boy's childhood was curled up at his side, reading or playing a gaming console.

Hakuno smiles, accepting the book easily and curling up against Gilgamesh's chest. The moment she has the book open, she's back to bliss. The four chubby baby faces look up at her, the four gathered together and settled on a large blanket. It looks like Aya is in the background, reaching for them as an Enkidu-like man pulls her back.  
  
"Did Aya like them too? She seems to want them in this picture.

Gilgamesh snorts. 'Did Aya like them?' what a foolish question.  
  
"Aya loved her baby siblings as if they were her own children. The girl had Ayaka and Yuri follow her around until she left for Camelot." The two babies cried terribly that day, he can still hear their screams in the airport. "My boy Sian loved Tsuki just as much." His eyes fall to a picture of the boy in question, hugging his baby brother close to his chest.

Hakuno nods, turning her attention back to the book. Her fingers run lightly over the laminate protecting the images.  
  
"...It's a shame she had to leave like that. The babies didn't even have Enki around once she left, but she must have appreciated being able to have them, after what happened to her."  
  
As soon as the words leave her lips, Hakuno pauses.  
  
That didn't make any sense. Who was Enki? What did she mean after what happened to Aya? It's tempting to ask, but- what would she even ask? 'Gilgamesh, I said something weird, can you explain why I said it?'  
  
Yeah, that wouldn't make any sense at all.

Gilgamesh stops as soon as he hears those words leave Hakuno's lips. That was his Hakuno's statement. That sounded like something his woman from his past life would say, right down to the tone of her voice.  
  
But that didn't make sense. How would she know that? Is she gaining memories from her past life by simply being around them? Or is something else at play here? He'll have to discuss this with Arthur once his master goes back to sleep.  
  
"It is a shame she left." Gilgamesh agrees, turning the page to see the three babies climbing all over Nergal, who is smiling away at the babies. "The two girls wouldn't stop crying for days afterward. You wouldn't either. Myself and Arthur had a hell of a time getting you all to calm down."

Hakuno nods, but she can't help wondering about what she'd said.  
  
She turns the page, continuing to look without comment now. The pictures feel familiar, like picking up a well-read book after a few months. It was much like how her healing magecraft had been. The offensive stuff had felt foreign, but healing had felt like she was just putting her shoes back on. She felt at home.

Stepping inside the tent, Arthur carefully makes sure not to spill the two plates of food he's holding. Hakuno and Gilgamesh need to eat. Hakuno hasn't eaten since last night. She has to be hungry. Gilgamesh as well.  
  
"Hakuno, Gil, I brought you some food to eat," Arthur mutters. He needed a break from Nero and Gudako. They're so noisy. Nothing like Hakuno and Gilgamesh who were quiet most days, unless he got either of them worked up about something or another. "You both should set up and eat."

"Hakuno was just mentioning how she was disappointed that Aya and Enki left like they did when Aya flew to Camelot," Gilgamesh tells him, his arm wrapped around the woman pausing from her picture admiring. "I mentioned that the youngest two girls were quite fond of Aya and that Aya was quite doting."  
  
"Ah," Arthur nods, letting a small table fall from the gates so he can set the plates down. "Yeah, it did feel like we had no luck when one of the women in our family was pregnant. Aya became fond of the babies once she lost her own. Who would have guessed that the two girls would be that attached? They never did stop loving their elder sister like a second mom."  
  
He pauses as soon as Hakuno goes to eat.  
  
 _Ah, so you caught on too_. Gilgamesh smirks his way. _Hakuno remembered something we did not tell her. Isn't that interesting?_

 _I also heard something interesting while I was cooking with Mash._ Arthur tells Gilgamesh sitting down next to Hakuno as she eats. _The Chaldeans fused a Heroic Spirit with Hakuno in the same manner that they did with Galahad. Mash didn't know the name of the Servant, but she knew that they were a goddess  
  
_ He's not sure how she is remembering things that they haven't told her. That is more strange than her dreaming about Lucius when she has never even heard of the man before.  
  
Whatever Chaldea has done to their woman, he's sure that it's all connected somehow, her dreams, her calling him her past self's pet name that she had for him, and now her remembering things about their babies.  
  
If only Marisbury was still alive. He could forcefully get answers from the man, instead of Romani who was not going to tell them any more than he already has.

Gilgamesh hums a bit, finding Hakuno looking his way. Those honey-colored eyes are watching him, waiting for him to speak. He opts to lean in and wipe at her face.  
  
"Tomorrow, Arammu, Hakuno, and I are going to scout the area outside of the city. She suggested that it may be best to find some places for retreating if such a thing becomes necessary."

"That would be a good idea." Arthur nods his head, smiling over at the pair, happy that Hakuno is enjoying the food he's made for her. "I would feel better if we had a spot to retreat to, should things go bad. I trust yours and Hakuno's judgment."  
  
He scoots closer to Hakuno, wanting to hold the woman close, wanting to tell her that Lucius won't ever get close to her with him around, but she's eating, she needs her strength.  
  
"I won't let anyone demean you by calling you a baby or weak again, Hakuno. You're almost an adult, my Master, and my fiancee. You need to be respected."

The surprised look is almost comical, those brown eyes glance over at him, staring for a moment before she realizes.  
  
"Oh. Right. Thank you, Arty. I would appreciate not being called baby again. Everyone in Chaldea got so used to me growing up that the nickname just stuck and I couldn't do anything about it. I know they mean well, but it hurts to not be seen as someone almost fully grown up."  
  
Her eyes close happily at the food, a soft moan leaving her lips.  
"Your food always tastes so good."

"I'm happy you like it." Arthur smiles at Hakuno. "I'll cook for you whenever you want, Hakuno."  
  
Arthur watches as both Hakuno and now Gilgamesh eat up his food Thank goodness. They both need their strength.  
  
"We'll protect you, master. No harm will come to you. You enjoy your time with Gil tomorrow, and I'll be sure to tell you everything that has happened in Rome once we return for the night."  
  
He had a feeling they won't be leaving Rome once they go inside. Not if Lucius is aware of them. He hates this plan.

"You make it sound like we're not helping."  
  
Gilgamesh can almost feel his eyes rolling at Hakuno's statement. Indeed it does sound like the fool is basically giving her vacation while he and Gudako and the others are all working on resolving the singularity. She's not entirely wrong. She won't be doing much, but then, they had planned not to take on Lucius again, for their own wellbeing.  
  
"It's nothing like that," Arthur insists. "I know you're both doing hard work too. I just mean, despite the work, try to enjoy yourselves tomorrow. It's nice to be out of Chaldea."  
  
Hakuno doesn't look fully swayed, but the woman shakes her head.  
  
"I would feel better if it wasn't Rome. Being around Romans makes my skin crawl."

"I don't care for being around Romans either." Gilgamesh states. "As I stated, Romans are loud, clingy, obnoxious, and believe they are entitled to things simply because they are blessed by their gods and goddesses."  
  
Arthur shakes his head, attempting to think of a way for Hakuno to help and make her feel included.  
  
"Hakuno, if you want to help, you and Gilgamesh could look around for any magecraft being used in order to track Nero. Romani told us that the emperor in Rome is tracking her. That means they know we're with Nero. It would help us if you could throw off their trail."  
  
A small lie, but he's sure that Lucius is tracking Nero somehow. He'd be stupid not to.

"Oh." Hakuno winces a little. "I-I'm not sure how to do that, Arthur. I've never really done much in the way of tracking or removing magecraft. You would probably be better off asking me to heal people. I'm really good at healing."  
  
It's tempting to show him, but she has nothing at her disposal at the moment. The things around her are only what Gilgamesh has pulled from his portals.  
  
A soft yawn escapes her, saving her the trouble of thinking. She finds Gilgamesh's arm moving around her waist, fixing her closer to his person he slows in eating.  
  
"You're still exhausted from the rayshift," Gilgamesh murmurs.  
  
Hakuno nods gently, her arms wrapping around the man only to hear him chuckle.  
  
"How is it that you always cling to me when you're tired and then always cling to Arthur when awake?"  
  
"Because you always sleep in," Hakuno murmurs, closing her eyes. "Even when we both have to work in the morning."

Arthur watches as Hakuno drifts back off to sleep in Gilgamesh's arms.  
  
 _She is remembering more things about her past life._ Arthur sends Gilgamesh's way. _I don't even think she realizes what says saying right now._  
  
He reaches over, brushing her hair back from her face. Her words were true all the same. He was usually the first one to leave in the mornings when they lived in their apartment together. Hakuno hated when he had to leave so early, clinging to him most mornings until he usually was late in showing up for his job.

 _That wouldn't make sense. Ramses claimed that Nefertari was a reincarnation and she never remembered anything. Hakuno should not be remembering like she is._  
  
He doesn't mind it. The memories make things much easier, especially since Hakuno has summoned and laid claim on them both in such a manner. However, it comes down to a matter of will. The girl doesn't need to be remembering the life of someone else. She should be creating her own life and choosing her own path.  
  
 _She's really cute when she falls asleep like this,_ Arthur murmurs.

 _She clings to me so nicely._ Gilgamesh smirks over Arthur's way holding her close to him.  
  
 _Rest, Arammu. You have been running around for these fools all day, and have been taking care of them as if you are their father._ He does not like the thought of being trapped on the outside of Rome while Arthur goes inside whatever trap is waiting for them in the capital. _Curl up next to me and our woman. You more than anyone, need to rest. You have to lead these idiots into Rome, and keep them from causing a scene._

 _I would much rather be beside you and Hakuno, seeing the sea and enjoying the sunshine_. But he won't say no to curling up beside them for now. He'd almost forgotten how nice it was to hold them both in his arms. It'd just been Gilgamesh for so long, having Hakuno back felt right.  
  
It's tempting to look around for an alarm to press. Or maybe, instead of an alarm, it's tempting to take another look Gilgamesh's way to make sure he isn't-  
  
 _You're on your phone with Mari again, aren't you?  
_  
 _She has gained more equipment than me and she's dead. I want to know how that works._

Arthur reaches over Hakuno, stealing the phone and tossing it back into the gates. Reaching back over, he tugs lightly, bringing Gilgamesh close enough that he can steal his lips.  
  
 _You tell me to rest,_ Arthur complains, _and then I find you playing video games._  
  
 _Mobile games. They're different._

Sure they are. Arthur pulls Hakuno close to him, wrapping his arms around them both, closing his eyes, and letting himself drift off to sleep, at least for a little bit.


	23. Sneaking Into Rome

Mash feels bad as she looks at the scene before her. They're all cuddling up to each other so cutely. She doesn't want to wake Arthur up...  
  
But they need to go. Nero told them that under the new emperor's rule, the gates to Rome only open once per day, and it happens early in the morning.   
  
"King Arthur." Mash whispers, shaking the man lightly. Hakuno and King Gilgamesh can sleep a little longer, that's fine, but Arthur needs to wake up.   
  
She frowns as the man doesn't seem to have any intention of moving.  
  
"King Arthur, if you don't wake up, I'll have to bash you with my shield."

"You bash him with your shield, Shielder, and I will ensure that you're tasting your own bowels before the man moves an inch from where he lays." Gilgamesh opens his eyes, looking over at the woman. His grip on the two before him remains as he sees the girl hesitate.  
  
"We're preparing to leave," Mash tells him. "The gates open only once a day and that's during the mornings."  
  
Gilgamesh stares at her.  
  
"I-It's currently the morning."  
  
"I'll wake him. Have the others ready to move in the next few minutes, since you've so eagerly ruined our sleep." He waves a hand, waiting for the girl to scuttle off so he can rouse the fool and return to sleep.

"I-I wasn't actually going to hit him with my shield, I was just saying that to wake him up. It usually works for my Master." Mash explains, before running off. Gilgamesh can be scary sometimes.   
  
Gilgamesh rolls his eyes. Mages have no concept of resting. Regardless, Gilgamesh carefully reaches across Hakuno and presses his lips to Arthur's.  
  
"Wake up Dragon, your little knight has interrupted our sleep.”

Arthur reaches over, pulling the man to himself and wrapping his arms around the man. Before Gilgamesh can comment, a hand is ghosting down his person, leaving him to growl slightly.  
  
"Your knight is waiting, Dragon."  
  
"Are you a knight then?"  
  
This guy, what was he supposed to do with someone like this? Gilgamesh leans in, biting the man's neck lightly before pulling Hakuno, the blankets, and himself to the other end of the large chaise.   
  
"Go see to those fools," Gilgamesh complains. "You don't have time for that right now, you vulgar minded oaf."

"You're just cranky because Mash woke you up," Arthur replies slowly sitting up. God, it's too damn early for this.   
  
"I don't want Arthur to go." Hakuno whines, cuddling closer to Gilgamesh. "Cant they do this without him?"  
  
"I'm afraid they cannot my Master. Gudako only has one brain cell. She'll cause a scene without Arthur there to stop any foolishness." Gilgamesh replies, kissing the top of her head. "Go back to sleep. We'll wait for these fools to leave before we start our day."  
  
"I still don't want him to go." Hakuno whispers. "What if that guy is there? He'll hurt Arthur.”

She's precious. Arthur leans over her, pressing his lips to hers softly.   
  
"I'll try not to be away too long. Once we're done with the plan today, you'll find me right back here with you both. Maybe you can both think about what food you'd like to have to eat for dinner while I'm gone."   
  
It's tempting to tell her that things will be fine, but he doesn't want to lie. So he opts for distraction. His lips press to hers a second time before he finds Gilgamesh stealing his attentions by pulling him back.   
  
"Do not forget that you belong to me," Gilgamesh murmurs. I will take care of Hakuno.  
  
"Oh? I belong to you, do I? That's strange coming from the man who begs for me."

They're so cute going back and forth like this.   
  
"I do not beg for you, you fool. You are the one who seeks me out in the dead of night." Gilgamesh argues.  
  
She smiles as she wraps her arms around Arthur.  
  
"Please be careful," Hakuno mutters. "Please, I don't want you to lose you. Make Gudako and Nero behave too."   
  
If something happened to him, she's not sure what her reaction would be. She might bust into Rome and let Gilgamesh just use his Noble Phantasm, regardless of the effects it will have on her body.

"I will be out of sight. I'm going in and then coming straight back to you. That's all. I don't like being away from Prince Charming here for longer than necessary."  
  
"You are making me wake up, Arammu. Get going before those fools come in here," Gilgamesh complains.  
  
"Wait!" Hakuno reaches back, pulling the ribbon holding her hair back. Her hair's a mess anyway. Best to leave it down for now and use another ribbon later.   
  
She hands the ribbon to Arthur.   
  
"Here. I read that knights often take a token with them into battle. Since I can't be there with you, you can take this... But you do have to return it because I only have the one."

She's too cute. She has somehow gotten even cuter in her next life.   
  
He takes the ribbon wrapping it around his wrist like a bracelet, holding his wrist up for Hakuno to see.   
  
"I will be sure to take good care of it, Hakuno. I'll return this to you tonight." Arthur presses one last time. "I'll return before you can even miss me, Hakuno."  
  
He can hear Mash calling for him. It's time to go.   
  
He stands up pressing his lips to Gilgamesh before heading out, his armor materializing as he leaves the tent.

He looks so cute, marching out in his silver and red armor, the symbols written into that armor almost glowing as he goes. The tent flap closes once more and Hakuno looks up to Gilgamesh.   
  
"He is a bit of a show-off, isn't he?"  
  
He'd marched a little too pointedly like he was needing to show off himself to the group outside.

Gilgamesh snorts. The man just wanted to show himself off to her. As if Hakuno needed any more convincing that they were the men she needs in her life.  
  
"He is. You should tell him such when he returns to us." His arms are wrapping around her waist once more pulling her against himself.   
  
"Now that these fools are leaving, let us rest peacefully."  
  
Arthur steps outside inwardly cringing as Nero greets him happily. She is far too energetic for it being so early in the morning.   
  
"We're heading inside Rome, correct? Nero and I need to hide our faces. We're the last two people that man wants inside Rome."

Gudako nods, looking at Arthur and Nero. "I was thinking about this during the night. I think it would be best if we had you dress down, Arthur. We need to put you in some peasant Roman clothes. As for you, Nero, maybe dying your hair another color for a while?"   
  
The only other thought she and Mash had come up with were robes, but those could easily be blown by the wind or tugged down.

Arthur takes one look at Nero, and he can already tell that she hates the idea of dying her hair. He doesn't blame her too much. He wouldn't want to ruin his hair either.  
  
"I suppose I don't mind dressing down... Perhaps we could simply use a scarf to hide Nero's hair? She could pass for my sister if it truly comes down to it."

"Yes, I'm clearly his sibling!" Nero's arms wrap around his at the new option. Her face turns to a large pout, bringing Gudako and Mash to sigh with one another.  
  
"Nero, everyone knows who you are. You're not exactly subtle."  
  
"Gudako is right, but maybe if she dresses down as well. If she wore the cape like we were talking about, it might not be too suspicious. It looks like it's going to be raining anyway. No one would think twice about a cloak."

Arthur sighs. This woman hasn't changed at all.   
  
"Then we should do that then. We can all wear cloaks, and not looks suspicious. We can pass as visitors if anyone asks." Arthur glances over at Mash and Gudako. "We should hurry. You said the gates only open once per day, we wouldn't want to miss our only chance inside the city."  
  
He already has a bad feeling about this, but the girls are insistent on this. Hakuno isn't in charge either. It doesn't help when he hears Romani on the other end giving the girls encouragement.

Nero nods, accepting a cloak from one of her men. As he watches, she wraps it theatrically around herself, fixing a gold broach on the front of it. The peasant cloak looks anything but like a peasant the moment that she has it on. And, alongside that, her proud stance and bold smile make it all the more obvious that she's anything but average.  
  
"We're screwed," Gudako murmurs.   
  
"Maybe a little less confidence, Emperor Nero," Mash offers, trying to be helpful.

Arthur can already feel the sweat forming on his brow from the woman's actions. They're not going to get far with her acting like her usual self.   
  
"Emperor Nero, I heard that you were not only a good singer but a good actor in your lifetime. You held an appreciation for the arts. Perhaps you could put your acting skills to use for us today, by acting as a citizen in your capital."

Nero pauses, blinking.   
  
"Acting as one of my people?" Her gaze lights up, her smile flashing a moment before she looks upon her people nearby. Her hands go to her hair, pulling it loose and about her shoulders. The gold broach is pulled, replaced with her hair ribbon a moment before she gives a proud laugh.  
  
"Very well, fellow ruler, I shall give the ultimate performance as- a citizen! Prepare to be impressed with an emperor's superior acting skills!"

Gudako inwardly cringes. She has a feeling this isn't going to go well at all, but thank God for Arthur getting her to dress down.   
  
"We should hurry. We don't want to get locked out of Rome. If we go now, we'll be able to get back before sunset."

"Let me help you," Arthur tells Nero, pulling her hood up over her head. At least, on the upside, no one would suspect Nero of being quiet like this. They would be expecting the woman to come around in full skirts and glorious noise. The meek-looking woman that comes about from them dressing her down now is nothing compared to that.   
  
Perhaps she could at least act.   
  
"Let's go," Arthur tells them. They can lose their troop a mile or so out from the city. Maybe have them scatter as they go. They can't go in a large group like this.

Gudako nods her head. "We'll let Nero lead the way since she probably knows the way best."   
  
They'll go inside Rome, see if any of the Servants can sense the Grail, if the Grail isn't there, then they'll just find a way to leave the city. Maybe hide in an inn for a night. All the better if they can avoid Lucy boy.

The path around them seems longer than she remembers. Maybe it's the time of the morning that's just messing with her though. There's a chill in the air, a dewy smell hanging over the area as they march on. Each selection of trees seems to have some of their group break off, the troops promising to stay hidden until their Emperor returned.  
  
It's been what has to be an hour before Gudako feels energy rush back to her. The opening of the city lies ahead, Rome's many streets and buildings greeting their eyes.   
  
"Thank goodness!"

Arthur can feel a sense of uneasiness creep into his veins as they get closer.  
  
It's far too quiet. The people of Rome are being too silent this morning. It leaves him with a bad feeling.  
  
"I hope that we aren't walking into a trap, Emperor," Arthur mutters to Nero, pulling his cloak around him more.

Gudako nods to him. Her eyes go to the buildings and the few people outside.   
  
"Maybe we should talk to a few locals," Mash suggests. "They might know something about what's going on. It'd be better than moving forward without information."

"That's a good idea." They should let Mash do the talking she's the most innocent one out of their group.  
  
"Mash, I think you should talk to some locals for us," Arthur suggests. "You're the least likely to raise suspicions out of all of us."

"I don't know," Mash glances to Gudako. "You mind coming with me, Gudako? I don't want to go up to people by myself like that."  
  
"I could-"  
  
"I would feel better if you were here with me, Nero," Arthur tells the woman before she can volunteer and give them away.

"I'll go with Mash," Gudako replies, taking the demi-servant by the hand. "We'll be right back."  
  
Mash nods her head. "We won't stray too far, Arthur. You'll be able to keep a good eye on us."

Arthur watches them move, the mood in the area not helping his sense of comfort at all. Maybe if he pretends to talk to Nero about something. What was there to talk about...   
  
"Nero," Arthur turns, giving his back to Gudako and Mash for the moment. "You seem good with advice. Since we have a moment, what do you think would make a good gift for someone you spend a great deal of time with?"

"You have turned to the right person for advice!" Nero tells him proudly, those green eyes gleaming. "Is your gift for a man or a woman? Ah, it doesn't matter too much. Perhaps you should give them a token of your love. What is something that they have been having their eyes on for some time? My Roma may have what you seek."

"He used to be about more bold and prideful pieces of jewelry and fabrics, but the last hundred or so years has mellowed him. I tend to wear a bit more to his taste now and he to mine." This might actually be really helpful for later. Arthur smiles a little. "He has no doubt of my love, let me assure you of that." Practically leaks it.

"Ah, then you should have him dress as he did before. Buy him something nice in the markets of my city, and then take present him with the fabrics. It will make him remember past times together." Truly she was a genius.

"That sounds like a great idea. We'll have to shop around after we help you resolve the issues here." Arthur smiles. "Thanks, Nero."   
  
Gudako and Mash look like they're done. The two hurry over to them and shake their heads.   
  
"Apparently there was fighting in the streets. Someone in gold demanded to see the emperor and has gone into the main building, but since so many were killed, people are staying inside," Mash explains.  
  
"It sounded like Gilgamesh. We should go inside an inn or something before guards ask us questions," Gudako adds. Her eyes are meeting his, almost asking what her words bring to mind: _Had Gilgamesh come here while they were resting?_   
  
But that's not possible. Gilgamesh had been sleeping next to him. Once he slept, the man slept. He was never one to skimp on his sleep.

"That's a good idea," Nero tells the group. "I tire of walking anyway. Let's take a rest in an inn."   
  
Still, that thought is troubling. It doesn't hurt to ask. _Prince Charming, the people inside Rome are saying that a man in gold slaughtered a few dozen people all the while demanding to see the emperor. I highly doubt this, but did you sneak off here last night?_ Arthur asks Gilgamesh. He doubts it, the man was sleeping soundly next to him and Hakuno.

He waits, expecting the man to respond.   
  
_Prince Charming... Baby... Gigi..._  
  
 _Arammu, shut up. You know I hate that nickname. It is a blasphemous butchering of my name,_ Gilgamesh finally complains. _What do you want? Hakuno and I are resting right now. We are sleeping off our liquor consumption and planning to travel in... 42 minutes._  
  
 _Did you come to Rome last night?  
  
The gates open once a day. Hakuno has been experiencing memories from our Hakuno. Why in Ninsun's name would I bother with going straight into a warzone?_   
  
He'd thought so.   
  
_And you ask me such stupid questions when you know better. My taste has truly become sullied._ Gilgamesh's voice sounds slower, quieter. _Let me rest. Do not awaken me for such trivial things.  
_  
 _I'll make it up to you later,_ Arthur promises as he follows the Emperor and the two young girls to a nearby inn. The proprietor ushers them in, simply handing them a key and telling them to keep the windows closed.

Gudako waits until everyone is inside before asking Arthur a simple question. "Did Gilgamesh come here last night, Arthur?"  
  
Arthur frowns. Here we go. "Gilgamesh rested against me the entire night. He didn't move. He was more concerned about cuddling Hakuno than coming to Rome."  
  
He sighs at the skeptical look that the younger Master is giving him. He misses Hakuno already.  
  
"Believe me or don't believe me, but Gilgamesh has no use for coming into Rome right now. He's enthralled with Hakuno at the moment. The only reason he's even tagging along is to keep her safe. He isn't interested in fighting Lucius."

"I believe you, Ruler." Gudako nods to him, trying to think. "If that's the case though, we could be in trouble. Another servant in gold means that someone could mistake Gilgamesh for that person."   
  
They'll have to-  
  
A sound blasts through the air, shaking all the wood and foundations of the inn. There's no standing from the might of it, their bodies fall to the floor as the world itself shakes around them. Their eyes are on the walls, as though they can see through them to the outside world. A loud ringing is echoing in their ears, leaving them to tremble as a horn sounds outside.   
  
The sound of armor clanking can be heard as the inn owner shoos them to go upstairs, but Nero and Arthur both hurry to the door, looking out to see soldiers running towards a great light in the distance.  
  
Someone had blown up part of the kingdom.   
  
"My building," Nero breathes, eyes wide.   
  
Arthur pulls Gudako back as she tries to run out. He pulls her to his chest, keeping her from rushing into trouble. "We can't master. Just stay with..."  
  
The words die in his throat.   
  
He can see a young adult pausing, panting slightly in a set of all too familiar golden armor. Looking up from beneath a swatch of blond hair falling into his face, the other locks eyes with him.  
  
"Nero, hold my master," Arthur tells her. He can feel his hand going to his belt, almost as though he can find Excalibur there. The man ahead of him smirks darkly.   
  
"Faker," they call.   
  
The moment he starts to run, the other's body dematerializes, leaving him standing in the middle of the pathway, leaving Arthur, Gudako, and Mash to wonder just who that strange Servant is.


	24. Fire and a Red Haired Servant

"What the hell was that?!" Gudako exclaims, that guy's hair was too long to be Gilgamesh, but his voice, his manner of standing, it was just like the arrogant man that clung to her friend.   
  
"I don't know, but I don't sense the Servants mana anywhere nearby." Mash replies, holding onto Gudako. "He vanished."   
  
_We can't help you here either._ Romani's voice tells them. _We weren't able to get a good read on that man long enough to determine his True Name._  
  
"Then we should go out and check on the outside," Gudako suggests, looking towards Arthur and Nero. "I know you don't want to. I'm a little nervous too, but we should sure that our resident bomber didn't hurt any civilians, or damage the Grail if Lucy has it." They're screwed if the Grail gets damaged.   
  
_If you run into Lucius, it would be a good idea to have Arthur cover his face. Lucius won't be inclined to help you all if he knows you have both Nero and Arthur with you._ Romani reminds Gudako.

Gudako nods, looking at the group. "Nero. Arthur. You both stay here at the inn. Mash, you're with me. We have to get moving." They need to hurry to figure out if the grail is alright and if they can negotiate with Lucius.

"Right!" Mash nods, rushing after her Master leaving Arthur to sigh.   
  
"They know that if he has it, he won't just give it up, right?" They're being naive, simply hoping that Lucius will be a good emperor and Heroic Spirit and simply give them the grail. The man doesn't care that humanity will be wiped out if they don't fix this singularity.   
  
There's also the concern about that Gilgamesh look-alike they saw. He can't help but feel as if he's seen him somewhere before. Perhaps in another Grail War.

"Come inside," the inn proprietor insisted, urging them to come inside the inn. "The soldiers will be arresting those that are outside. The only exception will be those putting out the fires."   
  
Nero pouts, looking to the flames in the distance.   
  
"...Perhaps some fiddle music would suit as a distraction," she murmurs, tugging him towards the door. "Come on, king."

Gudako rushes towards the building, the flames reminding her too much of Fuyuki. These Servants are pyromaniacs, she swears. The smell of soot in the air is filling her senses.   
  
"Mash, do you sense the emperor anywhere? We should check on that guy after we help the people put out the fires." She can just hear Arthur nagging her about that now, but they can't solve the singularity by simply dodging around the issue. They'll need to talk to solve the singularity anyway. Maybe there's something they could give him in exchange for the grail for his help.

"He seems to be this way," Mash tells her. There's a man in the distance, glaring at the fires and holding a wounded arm. The red hair seems to almost match the fires before him as the people of Rome work on dousing the fires.  
  
"Let's go, Mash," Gudako tells her. They going to resolve this whole mess quickly enough.

"I'll lead the way. You could offer to heal his arm, that would be a good start." Mash suggests, being careful to guide Gudako away from the fires, the last thing they need is her getting burned.   
  
They could heal the Servants arm, and start off on a good note. If he's as moody as Romani was telling him, it might be best to at least offer help first and see what the emperors' reaction will be.

The man's gaze flickers to them as they grow closer. Any desire to help this man is paused as Mash feels a chill run down her spine. Gilgamesh had been scary when he'd threatened to hurt her this morning, but his gaze hadn't been like this.  
  
The gaze was like looking into a monster's eyes. There was no light, no indication of humanity; instead, there was just a depth to them that made the ground feel weak beneath her feet.  
  
"Mash?" Gudako pulls at her arm and Mash watches the predatory smile form on the man's face as he sees Gudako's hand.

"W-We should go, Master." Mash whispers. "Arthur was right, I have a bad feeling. He won't help us."  
  
"We have to try, Mash," Gudako replies, as her Servant tugs on her hand.   
  
"I don't like this." She's scared. Just looking at the man is enough to make her want to turn around and run back to their inn, but the Servant already spotted them. He noticed Gudako's Command Spells. They can't run away now. He would kill them.

Gudako turns, stalking forward and bowing lightly to the man.   
  
"Sir, we have traveled here to help the city of Rome. Can we heal your arm and talk?"   
  
Mash bites her lip, watching the man move forward. She can't breathe as Lucius lifts her chin up, brushing at Gudako's red hair.   
  
"It seems that you are a mage... How curious, after we were attacked by a mage's familiar." The man leans in. "How do I know that you can be trusted?"

"I wouldn't be offering to heal your arm, if I sent a familiar to kill you, Sir." Gudako points out, hesitating a moment, before reaching out and beginning to heal his arm after muttering a small chant. Her healing magic isn't as good as Hakuno's but it'll do the job for now. "This is my familiar, Mash." Gudako nods her head at the demi-servant. "I am Gudako, a Master. It's very nice to meet you. Your people speak greatly of you."  
  
Arthur? Not so much. He doesn't need to know about that right now.

"Gudako... You feel like you are connected to more than one servant." He'd met someone like that before, a priest servant who had held three servants at once. He'd ordered them to kill themselves so he could win the grail.   
  
Such good memories.  
  
"Tell me, what is the name of your other familiar, Signora Gudako."

"Ah, you're right," Gudako admits, nodding her head. This guy was smart. He could sense that just from taking one look at her?! She can see how this guy has won so many grail wars.   
  
"His name is David, but he is not with me right now." It's best to be honest with the man like Mash told her. She has no reason to lie. "I only have Mash here with me in Rome."

"So you have a servant who is not with you. Why? Where is he?" Lucius shakes his head the moment that the questions are out. He moves his shoulder, nodding at her work.  
  
That gaze fixes on Gudako, smoldering away like the fires near them.   
  
"My temper and suspicions are elevated by the fires you see beside us now. I was just attacked by a familiar, the fool thinking himself a great king. I know not what he condemns me for, but I suspect it has to do with the false emperor that I have removed from the throne here. She lies and cuddles to those she desires to use. You can imagine my hesitations to trust strangers."   
  
He motions nearby. "Come. Drink with me. Bring your familiar with you. I will forge trust with you through drinks."

Mash doesn't like that talk. Nero is a kind person, she wouldn't use anyone like that, but she bites her tongue, watching as Gudako follows after the man.  
  
She has no choice but to follow after her. Arthur had been right to call him a wolf and a demon, but the Servant moved like a snake. She's unsure of his intentions as she keeps close to her Master.   
  
_"Emperor Lucius,"_ Romani steps in, his form projecting from Gudako's wristband. _"I am Romani Archaman of Chaldea. The woman you see before you is one of the two last remaining Masters in our world. As a Servant, you must sense that something is not right with the world you've been summoned into. That is the work of Grand Caster Solomon. We are hunting for the Grail. It should have been summoned into your lands as well. If we don't find it soon, a demon pillar, sent by Grand Caster could appear, and threaten your people. We are attempting to avoid that. We could use your strength and leadership to help us, and in return, Gudako and her Servants could help you as well. We can send her second Servant, King David, to your lands right now."_

"You must mean the grail that was stolen," Lucius shakes his head. "I had slaughtered the man who was guarding it for the former emperor of Rome and had just seized it when I was attacked by a king in golden armor. He called himself Gilgamesh."

Gudako pauses. That doesn't make sense. Gilgamesh was at the camp with Hakuno, he didn't leave last night.   
  
Is it possible that the grail two different Servants, but they bear the same name? She wants to ask Romani, but that would give away not only they have Gilgamesh with them, but Hakuno is also with them. The guy is being nice enough to her right now, but he doesn't know what his reaction would be if he found out there was a second mage traveling with them.   
  
"We could take care of this Gilgamesh Servant for you." Gudako offers. "If he has the grail, we could defeat Gilgamesh, obtain the grail, and return it back to Rome. It would help us both." They could use the Grail to fix the singularity and dip out of here, before things can go downhill with Lucy boy.

"Come," Lucius moves to open the door to the building nearby. "The citizens are putting the fires out. I shall see to you both since you are both outside in the area of danger. You seem... nervous about me."  
  
Mash doesn't like it. He seems too keen.

"I-it's because it's our first time talking with a leader like you before," Gudako admits as Mash stands in front of Gudako keeping her close to her as she follows Lucius. "I'm still getting used to being a Master, and my mind worries about my baby sibling back home in Chaldea."   
  
That sounds believable, it isn't a lie. All of those things are true, well, except Hakuno being her baby sibling. The woman was a year older than her, but she's still worried about her being alone with Gilgamesh, while Fake Gilgamesh is roaming around who knows where in the countryside of Rome.

"Allow me to alleviate your concerns then. Perhaps you can talk about your baby sibling to bring up some good memories. I'll pour you both a drink."   
  
The smile is nicer. Mash looks at him again and frowns. He seems to be opening up. Perhaps the whole intimidating presence he'd had before was a facade?   
  
"That would be fine," Gudako tells him, smiling. "Mash and I are underage so no alcohol please."

"And this man of yours is allowing children to fight Grand Caster?" Fools. The mage here has no idea what she is gotten herself into. "Is your sibling also a mage then?"  
  
"She is very sheltered, Emperor Lucius." Mash cuts in before Gudako can spill too much about Hakuno. "She wanted to come to Rome with us, but it's too dangerous for her to leave."

"Poor girl, but it is a shame, making two young women come to Rome to fight for people they don't even know. Here." He plucks a couple of apples from behind the counter. "Eat something to help sustain you. These are trying times. A young maiden and her cute companion should make sure to keep their energies up. Youth should be cherished, not worked to the bone."

"Thank you!" Gudako bows slightly, taking the apples and handing one to Mash. "I don't mind. We need to protect humanity. My sister and I feel the same way. Stopping Solomon is more important than the last year of our youth."

"I disagree." The man is pouring them drinks, it looks to be water rather than anything dangerous. "I think that both are equally important, Signora. Allow me to assist you in freeing Rome from its troubles. It would do well for us to combine forces... unless of course, you do not like me."

"We like you very much, Lucius!" Gudako tries. To be honest, the man was scary at first, but now he's treating them kindly. Arthur had the wrong idea about the Saber. He mellowed out when becoming a Servant.   
  
_"We would appreciate your help, Emperor Lucius."_ Romani chimes in. _"You are a strong Servant. We could use your power to bolster our own strength."  
_  
 _"You're on call with, Gudako?"_ Da Vinci asks, her voice sounding far away. " _Make sure to tell her to tell Hakuno to watch her stress levels. Her mana is fluctuating far too much. If it suddenly dips down, she could pass out."_

"Hakuno?" Lucius frowns at the name. "Who is that?"   
  
Gudako curses mentally. Da Vinci just had to be a shit and give that information away. "She's my baby sister. I said we didn't bring her to Rome, but she's outside the city right now with a uh- another servant from where we're from."   
  
"Ah, I see." Lucius nods. "Then we should make haste to bring your baby sister here. It is not safe outside the city, not with that fiery demon running about. He reminds me too much of the devil of Camelot. Him and his demon spawns- it would have not surprised me to learn he was the cause rather than a grand caster."

Mash grips her sleeve tightly, the man has not only insulted Nero, but is now insulting King Arthur, who has done nothing but be kind, and tolerate this insane plan of theirs. This man is a snake, the worst kind of snake. The kind of snake that will bite you when you least expect it. Arthur had done nothing to this man until he barged into Camelot demanding tribute and Guinevere's cousin as a wife.  
  
"I promise you that it is Solomon's doing as to why your world is the way it is," Mash speaks up.   
  
"I'll try to bring her here. Her Servant is...very protective of her." Gudako explains. "But Rome is safer than the outside, you're right. Aside from the bombing we've felt safe here."

Lucius moves around the counter, raising Mash's hand and kissing it politely. Gone is the threatening look. In its place is a depth of what looks to be admiration.   
  
"Would you like companionship? I do not feel comfortable letting you both roam so unprotected. You have one another, yes, but the protection of Rome is something not even the strongest of men goes without. Signora Mash. Signora Gudako. Allow me to join you."

Oh no.   
  
This isn't good. What are they going to tell Arthur? Gilgamesh? When they show up with Lucius? Oh god, Gudako can already hear the complaints from Gilgamesh now. _'You brought that demon here, what are you insane?'  
_  
"We couldn't ask you to abandon your people, Emperor Lucius," Gudako tells him, more to attempt to dissuade him from following them back to Hakuno. Arthur made it seem like this man knows who she is. Who knows what memories will trigger once he gets a good look at her friend. "I'm sure you're busy here."

Lucius looks to the direction of the voice. "This Hakuno has a servant? They could be helpful for us. It is unfortunate that you and your baby sister must battle, but I will endeavor to make sure that you are in one piece at the end of it all."   
  
He lifts Gudako's hand, pressing his lips to it.   
  
"Eat first. Perhaps I will put a few apples into a bag for us to take to your sister. Roma's apples are quite something."

_He's like an off-brand version of Gilgamesh and Arthur_ , Gudako thinks to herself. He can be sweet, and say cheesy shit like Arthur does to Hakuno, but in the next moment look like he's ready to murder everything and everyone in the room like Gilgamesh.   
  
It's like Hakuno went out and got lobster for them all to eat, and she's coming home with imitation crab for her to enjoy for dinner.   
  
Gilgamesh and Arthur are going to kill them for this, aren't they?   
  
Gudako nods. Taking a bite of the apple, admiring how sweet it tastes on her tongue. "I say that Hakuno is my baby sister, but she is a year older than me. She'll be an adult in a few months. She's just so sheltered that she doesn't know any better. She's never even talked to a guy before." She laughs a bit, a joke more to make her feel less awkward around the guy than anything else.

"I look forward to bringing her home to Rome then. I will ensure the three of you ladies have a proper room to rest in. A good bath and some clothes to change into would do you all well."

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! Welcome to this wonderful AU that I've been working on with my best friend, @FuwaFuwaMedb! I hope you all enjoy this as much as I do. This has been a joy to write, and Medb is such a fun person to write with. We both are writing bits and pieces for this work so please make sure to go give her a lot of love and appreciation on here and on her Tumblr by the same name. She deserves it.


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